Protecting the Innocent
by Dannylionthe1st
Summary: Careless rich boy by day, crusading vigilante by night, Oliver's life is already complicated enough, trying to bring justice to those on The List. But Queen Consolidated is not without enemies. He has to find out who is out for vengeance. But that proves to be difficult with everything else he has to deal with, especially when an unexpected romance begins to bloom. OliverXOC
1. Cinderella

**A/N: Hey guys. Man, I have way too many plots in my head. But after trying to resist this show I couldn't help it. I'm really enjoying it. I enjoy all kinds of feedback. Hope you guys enjoy.**

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"Shiver and quiver, little tree. Silver and gold throw down over me," Ria whispered to herself as she looked out the backseat window. She wore a tight short silver dress, much to her annoyance. How she wished she could have stayed home. Yet, she couldn't. Not only was she being semi-forced to go out. She was also, in a way, going to live a fantasy. She was going to be Cinderella, except, she didn't have a midnight curfew.

She could already imagine it. Walking into the crowded party room, only to have the people part and stare at her. Starling City's prince, Oliver Queen, spots her. He is enchanted and walks over to her. And…

Ria shook her head. It was a silly thought. She wouldn't be able to handle it if people stared at her. No, she would be the quiet one. Just a pair of eyes, staring at the people who laughed, dance, partied, and had fun. If she was lucky she would catch a glimpse of Oliver. But she wouldn't talk to him. She couldn't. Katie would kill her. She was only coming because Katie, her roommate, needed two friends.

"Okay," Katie said, before smacking her gum. She held a little makeup mirror to her face and quickly retouched the makeup that was on her face. "So, we're a part of their group. Okay?" she asked as she moved the mirror over her head and fixed the single strand that seemed to be out of place.

"Sure," Ria replied as she sat up straighter and pulled her short dress down. She was in the car with her two roommates.

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Alice squealed as she clutched the steering wheel.

"We're a part of them, Alice!" Katie snapped. "No pretending like we don't fit in. Oh, and if any of you bitches get kicked out don't you dare get me kicked with ya. I don't know you, if you can't fit in. Trust me, if you get me kicked out as well, there'll be hell to pay. You two live with me."

Ria rolled her eyes. It wasn't like this was the first or last party that Oliver Queen would host. He had already hosted a few parties after his return, having spent five years alone on an island. But Ria, Alice and Katie were never invited. But why would they be? They were middle class at best. They lived in a decent apartment, slightly closer to the slums then they would have liked, well, closer than Alice or Katie would have liked. Ria cared little about where she lived, as long as she could sleep and eat in peace. She had lived in worse. But it was Katie's doing that got them into the party. And Ria had to admit, only to herself, she was curious as to what happens at a rich boy's party.

"I can't believe you got us in," Alice squealed again as she hoped up and down.

"Oh my god, like, chill out, Alice!" Katie snapped, trying her best to sound snotty.

Ria tuned the two women out and focused back at the passing city. She had arrived a few days before Oliver. Of course, there was no one to greet her. She didn't receive a fanfare, despite returning home. Well, not exactly home. She had lived in the city for a short while when she was seven, but it was the best time of her life that she could remember. Laugh and play. The memories brought a smile to her face. And then her mother died and her father moved again. It was that brief moment of happiness that brought her back, hoping she could recreate those feelings.

She had found Katie's advertisement for a roommate on a website, and only showed up for the appointment before Katie accepted her. Almost immediately, Ria regretted her decision to stay. Katie and her were almost polar opposites. While Katie loved to party, Ria preferred to spend her nights quietly in her room. Katie was having none of it most of the time.

"Got that, Riri?" Katie asked, interrupting Ria's musing.

She let out a sigh. "It's just Ria, Katie. Not Riri or Ira or Rara or anything else. Just Ria," she couldn't help but snap. She hated when people gave her a nickname and insisted on it despite her dislike.

"Whatever," Katie said, waving her hand in the air.

"And no, get what?"

"You need to pay attention. Keeping your head who knows where and you'll be the first to get kicked out. Leave that silly book of yours behind. We're here to party not read or write," she huffed.

Ria discreetly put her small pocketbook into her purse. "Sure, Katie," she lied.

"Park here, park here!" Katie screamed, causing Alice to grab the wheel and slam on the breaks. They could hear the cars behind them come to a halting stop and honk at them at the same time.

Ria touched her forehead. She could feel a headache coming.

"Here," Katie said, tossing a small bottle of pills back to her. She could tell that Ria was going to get a headache.

"Thanks," Ria said, but put the bottle in the pocket in the back of the seat.

The three women stepped out of the car at nearly the same time. Katie smacked her gum again before spitting it out.

"We better hurry," Katie said as she briskly made her way down the street. It didn't take the girls long to get to the back of a building. Katie whipped out her phone and texted someone before putting it back in her little purse.

"God, it's cold," Alice huffed as she wrapped her arms around her body and hopped up and down.

Finally, the door opened and a man wearing a caterer's suit glared at them.

"God dammit, Katie," the man said, allowing the three girls to enter. "I said at 10:00, not 10:30."

"Hey Jeremy," Ria said, recognizing Katie's brother.

"Hey Ria," he said, giving her his best smile, before quickly escorting them through the halls.

"Thanks, Jer," Katie mumbled.

"Here," he said, handing them three laced masks.

"What's this?" Katie asked.

"Last minute. Mr. Queen's making fun of that green vigilante dude. You know, he wears that deep hood. So all Queen's guests are wearing masks, masks better than hood I guess." He shrugged. "Probably won't last a night. Anyway, I got these for ya."

Katie smiled and clapped her hands excitedly as she put the mask on. "Oh, I love it," she whispered.

"Hold on," Jeremy said as he opened a door and peaked through. "Okay, go go!"

The three girls quickly entered the main room. Within seconds both Alice and Katie disappeared into the crowd leaving Ria standing alone. It didn't matter. Everyone was drinking, talking, or dancing to notice her.

"You stick out like a sore thumb," Jeremy whispered to her.

She nodded and slowly made her way toward a group of people talking. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Katie already flirting with a guy.

"You would think that five years alone on an island would change a man," one of the women, in the group Ria was going to join, said.

"Alone? I read in a paper that he was tortured there," one of the men replied. "From lack of women."

The group laughed.

"Can't imagine living five years alone on an island without a woman around," the same man mused.

"I wish I were with him. Imagine. Spending five years on an island alone with him?" another woman cooed. "We would…"

"Hey," the first man interjected. "What about me?"

"Oh, baby, I love ya, but I'm sorry. Oliver is just hot," the woman replied. "Stranded on an island with him…"

Ria moved away from them. She didn't care much for gossip. Whether true or not, the man deserved his privacy. Her head started to thump as her little headache started to get bigger. She glanced around trying to figure out which group to join. She wasn't the best at mingling when it came to people she didn't know.

She spotted some stairs and quickly headed up them, entering the second floor. Immediately, she regretted her decision when she spotted a couple on a little couch. The party was barely started, but the two near her seemed oblivious to it and her as they kissed.

Ria moved away, giving them privacy despite the fact that they were in a somewhat public place. She felt silly, as if she were hiding from the participants of the party. It wasn't as if they even noticed she was around. The second floor was open so that she could look down into the crowd. She finally stopped and slightly leaned against the railing as she looked down at the people.

The people below her looked as if they were having fun as they talked, drank, and a few danced. She closed her eyes and tapped her foot as the music filled her body and her headache eased. It was so strange that, despite the beat of the music, it made her feel so free.

"Not enjoying the party?" a man asked her.

She jumped and gasped in surprise as she turned to look at the speaker. "You scared me," she said, placing her hand on her chest, trying to ease her pounding heart.

"Sorry," he said as he raised his hands in the air, showing her he had no weapons.

"I'm actually enjoying it a lot," she said with a smile. "They're enjoying it too."

"Oh?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Sure. I mean look at them. Able to drink for free and gossip to their heart's content. Or if some want they can dance." She pointed to a young woman who wiggled her body as the group next to her talked. "A few can hook up. All thanks to Mister Oliver Queen."

He laughed. "He hasn't been the only one to host a party," he pointed out.

She shrugged. "But compare this party to say one that his mother does. Not saying she makes bad parties. But they are a bit more formal with major consequences if you make a mistake or don't completely socialize. What other social function is there that allows people of a similar age to 'cut loose' so to speak?"

He chuckled as she smiled at him. "Well, sometimes there are dire consequences to those who do make fools of themselves."

"Ah!" she said, almost too excitedly. "But that's where the masks come in."

"Oh?"

She nodded her head. "Sure," she said. "I mean, look. Some people are _easily _recognizable mask or no mask. But the masks offer a sort of anonymity. I'm sure if you quietly make your way toward any group you can easily merge in with them and hear things that they may or may not say otherwise. Sure, people may know who is talking or acted terribly, but having a mask almost pardons the behavior. They may get in a little trouble, but won't be socially outcast for however long of a time." She shrugged her shoulders.

He laughed, shaking his head. "I guess that makes sense to a point," he said.

The crowd slowly parted, causing Ria to perk up and watch as a particularly beautiful woman walked past. A few men broke off from their prospective groups and quickly surrounded this woman.

"Princess Incognita," she whispered.

"What?" he asked her.

"Oh, sorry," Ria said. She could feel her cheeks go red. "Ever seen The Slipper and the Rose?"

"I haven't been around," he said.

She sighed. "Well, probably not a movie you would like. It's old. Been out since 1976. Cinderella story. Anyway, Cinderella enters the ball and uses the name Princess Incognita. Her entrance kind of reminded me of a Cinderella entrance. You know. The beauty walks in and suddenly all the men want to make her acquaintance."

He chuckled.

"Oh gosh," she said, finally looking over at him. "I'm sorry. I'm being rude. Name's Ria."

"Ria?" he asked as they shook hands.

"Well, nickname," she said.

"And your real name?"

She shook her head. "Oh no," she said. "First, you'll only laugh. And then you'll try to give me a worse nickname. As it is some people try to give me a nickname with Ria. Riri, Rara, even Ira or Iras. The problem with those two is that in Spanish ira means anger, rage, wrath." She chuckled shaking her head. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

He laughed. "I promise I won't laugh at your real name."

"Ollie!" Tommy shouted, causing the two to look over at him.

"Yes, Tommy," Oliver said as he raised his mask. Tommy had apparently ditched his mask somewhere. He gave Ria a puzzled look before he focused his attention on his friend.

"Rebecca's been looking for you. Your mother had me swear that you would be nice and talk to her. Hi," he waved at Ria.

"Hello," she said.

Oliver let out a sigh. "Alright," he said. "I'll be right there."

"I don't think we've met, name's Tommy," he said, reaching past Oliver and smiling at Ria.

"Ria," she said, shaking his hand.

"Mind if I steal him for a moment?"

She shrugged. "Not like I had dibs or anything," she said. Mentally, she slammed her palm into her face. Dibs?

He laughed. "Good to meet you, Ria," he said as he pulled Oliver away.

"Nice to meet you, Ria," Oliver called out.

"Same," she replied. She waited for the two to disappear down the stairs before she rushed to a chair and sat down. Her heart raced in her chest. She had spoken, more like rambled, to Oliver Queen. She quickly checked back on their conversation. Had she made a fool of herself? Why hadn't she recognized him? His face was in all the papers constantly since his return, almost as much as the vigilante.

She shook her head, giving up on her recollection. Her mind kept on going back to her saying 'dibs'. Yeah, she had to have made a fool of herself somehow. Cinderella! She had mentioned a fairytale to him. Did he think that she was trying to hint at something?

"Ugh," she whispered to herself. "You're such a dumbass." She stood up and straightened her dress before letting out a deep sigh. Well, she couldn't keep on hiding, even though no one, except for Oliver, seemed to notice her. Still, better not to have Katie angry at her. They were roommates after all.

It didn't take her long to reach the main floor and return to the party. She easily spotted Oliver this time. A crowd surrounded him from all sides as he raised his glass in the air. She didn't hear what he was saying, nor did it matter. He fit in so easily with the crowd. She couldn't help but be mesmerized.

The emotions around her quickly shifted from partying to hostility.

"Ollie!" Thea shouted just as a man pushed his way through the crowd. Everyone seemed surprised by the man's actions and quickly moved away, giving him a clear entrance in which to escape.

Ria didn't wait a minute as she turned and ran through the back. She hoped she was correct in her assumptions. She reached the door and waited.

"Three, two, one," she whispered before throwing her entire body into the door. If she was wrong then she would look foolish to no one. She wasn't.

"Shit!" a man shouted. "You hit me, you bitch!" He screamed, holding onto his nose. She had hit him with the door. He raised his right hand, and she saw the distinct outline of a gun. She slammed her high heel into his foot, causing him to scream again, before jabbing his stomach with her elbow. She pulled the gun out of his hands and jumped back, holding it up toward his face.

"The purse please," she asked, holding out her left hand.

They both heard the shouting of people. He threw the purse at her and she easily caught it with one hand. Her vision flashed red, causing her to moan and lower the gun.

"I'll teach you," the man snarled as he rushed at her.

She couldn't move. Her head hurt too much. She tensed her body, waiting for the punch to come. But it never did.

"That's no way to treat a lady," a gruff voice snapped as he threw the man back.

"Screw you," the man snapped at them as he scurried to his feet and ran off.

"Go," she said as she slowly got to her feet. "Get him." Her vision finally cleared and she realized that the vigilante was in front of her.

"Are you…"

"I know you don't normally go after those guys," she interrupted. "But he tried to hit me. Hurry before he gets away."

The man nodded and quickly ran after the fleeing thief.

Ria leaned against the wall before moving away from the party. She didn't notice that she still held onto Thea Queen's handbag. Nor did she realize that she had left her purse on the ground behind her. Exhaustion filled her body and mind. All she wanted to do was go home, fall asleep and pray that the headache would be gone in the morning.


	2. Not a Date

**A/N: Wow! Thanks so much for your reviews and interest in this story. First, sorry to previous readers about the change in title and summary. No worries! Chapter 1 has not been changed one bit. I just found a better way to explain this story. Hope you guys continue to enjoy. Please keep reviewing. If you find any mistakes or are confused don't hesitate to tell me. I hope it doesn't seem like it's going too fast. There are still bumps in the future road for the characters to travel. I'm going to try to go parallel with canon to a point, but have no real intentions of putting my OC into an episode unless I feel that it'll help the plot along. We've all seen the episodes. No point in rewriting them and only adding OC lines.**

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Heat wrapped around her, making it unbearably hot for her to stay still. Ria threw the blankets off of her and moaned into her pillow as she tried to air out her back. Her skin felt clammy from the sweat that she had produced while sleeping. She tossed to one side and then the other but it was no use. She was already awake.

She let out a loud sigh and stared up at the ceiling. She still had a headache, but it was manageable now. She got out of bed and picked up her towels from the floor. She would take a shower first, and if her headache still persisted then she would take more drastic measures.

The chilly apartment made her shiver as she rushed down the hall into the bathroom. She could hear the sound of dishes being used. Her roommates were home and clearly making breakfast.

"Hey, Riri!" Katie shouted. "Want coffee?"

"No thanks!" Ria said.

"Ha! Did you wear that mask all night long?"

Ria touched her face and felt the little mask still on it, causing her to blush. "I guess," she said. "I'm gonna shower." She closed the door behind her before Katie could say anything else, and wasted little time turning on the water, letting it hit her body. The water cooled her body, causing her to give a sigh of relief. Maybe she didn't have to use drastic measures to get rid of the headache.

She closed her eyes, allowing her thoughts to wander. The night before, they had gone to a party. Oliver Queen's party to be precise. And she had talked to him. That thought made her innards jump a little. Katie and Alice would be jealous if they knew. But then they'd probably think she was making it all up. Still, she knew she had a silly grin on her face as she wrapped one towel over her head and the other around her body, before making her way back to her room.

She closed the door to her room, just as someone knocked on their front door.

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Oliver wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. With Helena gone and Laurel dating his best friend, Oliver suddenly realized how alone he was. Sure he had his family, but he missed having someone to be intimate with. Not that he was planning on being intimate with Ria. Yes, she was pretty, but he was learning to look past looks and look at character.

She was just easy to talk and listen to. At least, that's what he had consciously made himself think. He was just returning her purse and book to her. Yes, he could have had anyone who worked for him return it, but it just felt right to do it personally. Plus, there were a few questions that he had in mind. Maybe talk to her a little bit. They were having an interesting conversation last night until they were interrupted.

From entering her apartment building he knew that she hadn't been invited to his party last night, but at the same time he didn't care. She didn't cause any trouble. She intrigued him. What he really wanted to know was would she still act the same toward him now that she knew who he was? He convinced himself that it was that thought alone that brought him to her apartment. An experiment, so to say. After all, he could have had any old lackey return her purse and pick up his sister's. She had it in her hands when he last saw her while dressed as the vigilante.

He raised his hand and hesitated for a brief moment before knocking on the door. He wasn't sure if he wanted to shatter the small fantasy that he had about her. He couldn't help but hope she would act as normal as could be when talking to him. For a brief moment, an agitating thought entered his mind. What if she took the purse with her hoping they would give her a reward when she returned it? He knew she hadn't stolen it unless she was in cahoots with the male thief. But he had seen her on the ground and the man was going to hit her. He wasn't even sure if the man hadn't already hit her.

Not that he wasn't planning on giving her some sort of reward, he was. He just…

The door opened interrupting his thoughts. The woman who opened the door stared at him in surprise. "Oooo… Mr. Queen," she stammered.

"Please, it's Oliver. Mr. Queen was my dad," he said.

She looked confused as her eyes looked behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see, Ria," he said.

Her frown deepened. "Ria?" she asked.

"Who is it, Alice?" another woman said as she appeared behind the one in front of Oliver. Her eyes widened with surprise and she quickly set her cup of coffee to one side. "That's me!" she said. "I'm Ria."

Alice gave her a quick glance and opened her mouth to say something, but the imposter waved her away.

"Weren't you going to get ready for your date, Alice?" she asked.

Alice gave Oliver one quick glance before nodding and walking away. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at the blatant lie. She must have been at the party as well and was counting on the fact that Ria had kept her mask on all night, and the semi-darkness. They were similar in height and hair, but their voice was different. Ria had a little Hispanic accent. But there was also one thing this woman clearly didn't realize. He had Ria's driver's license. Still, he decided to play along with her for a minute.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the little book that was inside. "You left this," he said as he held out the little book of fairytales. He was curious as to how far she would go. He kept Ria's purse inside his pocket. When or if the time came he would pull it out and ask why her picture was different. "You must really like the Cinderella story if you carry it around wherever you go," he added, almost snidely. He wouldn't have sounded superior had he been talking to the real Ria. He was actually curious why an adult would carry around a little pocket book with the Cinderella story in it.

She turned red with embarrassment. "Not my book," she said, refusing to touch it. "My roommate's, but she's not in right now. She's…"

"Katie!" a woman yelled as she rushed out of her room. Her hair was up in a towel and another towel wrapped around her body. She ran into the living room and started to dig through the couch after looking at the top of the coffee table. "Please tell me you've seen my purse. Book especially."

The woman at the door sighed and grabbed the book from Oliver, putting it over her shoulder.

Ria looked up and spotted it, letting out a cry of joy. "Thank you," she said, grabbing the book. "You have no ide… Oliver." Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at him. He smiled.

He opened his mouth to say something, but she was faster. "Oh my god," she said, seeming to realize she was still in a towel. "Don't go! I have something for you. Ugh. Just a minute." She quickly turned rushed to her room.

Katie looked a bit miffed as she stepped back. "Please come in," she said flatly. Then she looked up at him with a fake smile. "She asked me to pretend to be her if anyone comes asking for her. I think she's having trouble with her boyfriend."

He nodded, but that didn't make sense. If Ria had a boyfriend and said boyfriend was after her, wouldn't he know the difference between the two women? "And your name is?" he asked, trying to sound civil.

"Katie," she said. "So… how do you know Ria?"

He looked around assessing the little open living room. It was clean and nicely furnished. "We met last night," he said.

"I'm sorry you had to come all the way out here to return her stupid book. You could have just mailed it," she said. "But thank you so much for doing it," she quickly added. "I mean, you have no idea how much that silly little fairytale book means to her."

He looked at Katie. The woman was trying to put Ria down and at the same time act like a saint. "So, how long have you two been friends?"

She sighed. "A few months. She was looking for an apartment and answered my ad. I felt sorry for her. No home, little money. She can barely afford to keep up with the expenses. She doesn't do anything, no work, school. Although she claims to be looking for work. Don't get me wrong, she's a nice girl. But I don't know how much longer she can keep up with her share of the responsibilities."

Katie didn't seem to realize that she was doing herself no favors. It was quite clear to him that she was trying to paint Ria as a vagabond.

"Sorry for the wait," Ria said as she exited her room. She wore a pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt that had pink flowers on it. Her dark brown hair looked black since it was still wet, and hung loosely wetting her shoulders. "I almost walked right back out with my towel." She held out his sister's purse and he took it. "Couldn't make that mistake again." She laughed about herself.

"I really didn't notice," he lied. She rolled her eyes as if she knew he was lying. Then he pulled out her purse from his other pocket "Here," he said.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "Thanks! You know you didn't have to come down here to return it. When I realized I had your sister's purse I was going to return it to you. And you could have mailed this."

"Well," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't have anything planned for today. Are you hungry?"

Katie coughed into her coffee, making Ria turn to look at her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Katie waved her hand in the air, nodding her head as she went into the kitchen.

Ria turned her attention back to Oliver and looked at him quizzically. "You want to take me out to eat?" she asked.

"As a thank you," he said. "It's just about brunch time. I know of a nice family owned restaurant nearby. Unless you would rather have a monetary reward," he couldn't help but add. "Up to you."

She chuckled, shaking her head. Then her eyes narrowed slight. "Hmm… Money," she said raising one hand. "Or free food." She raised the other hand. "Hmm…" She appeared to be really contemplating her choice as she raised each hand up and down. "It's decided," she finally said, lowering her hands and shrugging. "Could never say no to free food."

Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief. She looked at him mischievously and her green eyes sparkled as if she had known what her answer was going to be all along. "Just give me one minute," she said as she went back to her room.

Oliver placed himself by the door although he was expecting to wait a lot longer. She was probably changing into nicer clothes to impress him. And knowing women, they usually took a little bit longer to get ready when they were trying to impress someone.

Her door opened unexpectedly and she came out with a jacket in hand. She hadn't changed, only brushed her wet hair back into a ponytail.

"Sorry," she said as the two stepped out into the hallway. She pulled out her apartment key and locked the door behind her. "Hope you didn't feel like you were waiting too long."

"I honestly was expecting to wait longer," he replied.

"Oh?" she asked as they headed down the hall.

"Sure," he said. "I mean, you know. Most women try to impress… well…" he stammered. He wasn't sure how to get his point across without accidently insulting her, or making her question herself. He found it refreshing that she was just going the way she was and not trying to pretty herself up for something that wasn't going to happen.

"This isn't a date, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Right. Just a thank you brunch."

She smiled. "Okay. Just making sure, because if it was a date I would have had to go back and wear the appropriate apparel for the occasion. Besides, dates are usually dinners, coffee, sometimes lunches, but a brunch? Maybe if the couple had been dating for a while."

He laughed. "The place I was thinking about eating has breakfast, lunch and dinner options available all day. Unless you wanted something else to eat?"

"Sounds good to me," she said. "I'm thinking pancakes."

He smiled. He liked how easily she talked to him.

His driver spotted the two as they walked out of the building. He quickly opened the back door and Ria got in excitedly.

"The American Pancake House," he told his driver before entering through the other side. He looked over at Ria who fiddled with her phone as she looked around.

"Nervous?" he asked her.

"Do you mind if I take a picture of us?" she asked.

He smiled, shaking his head. "Of course not."

She scooted over to him and leaned her body against his as she held her camera up. "Smile!"

He heard the distinct 'snap' sound and she pulled away, looking down at her phone. "So?" he asked.

She smiled and showed him the picture. He was surprised to realize that they looked like a happy couple.

"Thanks," she said. "Now when I wake up tomorrow I'll know if this was a dream or not."

"Not going to brag?" he asked.

She laughed. "Well sure," she replied. "If I ever have grandchildren I'll pull out this photo." She squinted one eye and shook her hands as if she were old. "See that young man, youngin's?" she said in her best raspy voice. "That's the great Oliver Queen of Queen Consolidate. He took me out to brunch because I found his sister's purse."

"More like rescued it," he said.

"Oh, well… The thief kind of dropped it."

"I see," he said. "Think Queen Consolidated will last that long?" he asked, rather curiously.

"Only if you work on it," she said. "But don't quote me on that later. I can't see that far into the future."

He laughed. "I promise." They were quiet for a minute before he broke the silence. "Why your grandkids?"

"What?"

"You said you would brag to your grandkids. Why not your friends?" he asked her.

"Oh," she said. "Well, oh this is sad." She paused and gave him a look before waving her hands in the air. "I don't really have friends. I know people, but I wouldn't call them friends. I've never really had friends. Just acquaintances. And, to be honest, I don't like to brag very much. Not saying that I don't. Just, I try not to." She shrugged.

He liked her answer, but wasn't sure how exactly to respond to it.

"But, that doesn't mean I don't like to show off," she quickly added, making him laugh.

The car stopped and he watched as Ria moved her hand toward the door handle before she pulled back. She gave him a sheepish grin as the door opened. "Almost did your driver's job," she said. "Thank you," she told the driver as she got out of the car.

"Get some food, Rick," Oliver told the man, clapping his shoulder.

The driver nodded, closing the door behind them, before entering the car again.

The restaurant in front of them was unimpressive, but he liked those looks. Made it all the more fun when the food was amazing. He opened the door for Ria and she smiled up at him. "Thanks," she said.

"Mr. Queen!" the host said in surprise.

"Two please," he told the man. The man quickly grabbed two menus and walked them toward the back of the restaurant, setting them in a booth.

"Thanks. Could I have a chocolate shake please?" Ria asked. The man nodded and looked at Oliver.

"I'll have one, too," he said.

It didn't take very long for their waiter to place their shakes in front of them and look at them expectantly.

"I'll have your breakfast meal number three, scrambled eggs, and toast," she said, closing the menu and handing it to the waitress. "Oh! And can you add strawberries to the pancakes?"

"That'll be extra."

"That's fine," Oliver answered. "And I'll have you're Starling City specialty Burger."

The woman nodded as she put her little book away and left them.

"So, Mr. Oliver Queen," Ria teased. "I hope this restaurant is good."

"You have no faith in me, Miss Tiberia Isabella Parks," he said, shaking his head.

Her eyes widen in surprise and horror. "How? Now that's not fair!" she exclaimed. "How did you? It's Sunday! How much did you have to pay to find that out?"

He laughed. "Nothing," he said, raising his hands in the air. "Your driver's license told me. I had to find out where you lived after all."

"Oh," she said softly. Her cheeks brightened.

"I think that's an interesting but beautiful name, by the way," he said.

Her blush deepened, but she smiled none the less. "Tiberia was my great gran's name. Apparently, she was the sweetest person you could ever meet. She raised my father. She was the family's matriarch and accepted my mother with open arms. My father named me in honor of her. As for Isabella, well, my mom said she was watching this telenovela in which the main female protagonist was named Isabella. Not that interesting there."

"So why don't you go by Isabella or a shorter name if you don't like Tiberia?"

She looked horrified. "I never said I didn't like it!" she said. "I love my name. It's just… Many people don't like saying it. So then I started to get dumb, well in my opinion dumb, nicknames like Tibbie, Tibs, Berry, Ti, Ti-fool."

He raised his eyebrows at that, and she laughed shrugging her shoulders.

"I did something foolish and some dumbass punished me with that name. So, as much as I love my name I hate people giving me nicknames that I don't like. So I just go by Ria. Yes, Isabella would have been easier: Izzy, Bella, Bell or Ella or something, but I would rather go by my first name than my middle."

"Tiberia," he said as he leaned back.

She sucked in her breath and shivered.

"Are you cold?" he asked in concern.

She shook then nodded her head. "Sort of." She put on her jacket and took a sip from her shake.

"So," Oliver said slowly, trying to figure out the right words to say and not make it sound creepy. "I'm actually looking for someone to fill in a secretarial position at my company."

"Are you offering me a job?" she asked as a frown crossed her face. "You don't even know me."

"Right," he said quickly, trying to think of something. Katie's words that Ria had no job bothered him. He wanted to talk to her a few more times and was afraid of her disappearing. "I mean, I was told you didn't have a job."

"By who?"

"Your roommate Katie," he said.

"What?" she nearly shrieked. "I… No! I'm sorry. Am I a charity case for you? Think by being nice to me whatever bad thing you did will magically go away?" She leaned forward and almost glared at him.

He raised his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean to offend you. And I don't think you're a charity case. I just…" he paused. "Your roommate told me you didn't have a job and I know I have an opening at the company. You're right, I don't know, but if you were interested I was going to set up an interview with you for later this week."

She sighed in exasperation and leaned back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. No, I don't need a job. I wish she hadn't said that. "

Oliver let out a small sigh of relief as the waitress returned with their food. It seemed to break the small tension that had grown between the two.

Ria quietly cut into her pancake, putting a small piece into her mouth. Then a small smile crossed her lips till she laughed. "This is amazing!" she said.

"Told you."

She nodded in agreement as she ate.

"Why did you choose brunch over money?" he couldn't help but ask. Although the question had been on his mind the entire time, he had waited until they were almost done eating to ask it.

She stopped and fidgeted slightly. "Well," she said a little too softly. "The thing is… okay. Here are the two memory scenarios. A) You return my book. I return your sister's purse. You return my purse and give me money. Or B) You return my book. I return your sister's purse. You return my purse and you thank me with free food and a decent conversation."

"And what if we didn't have a good conversation?" he asked.

She laughed. "Then I could say "Oh my god, 'insert whoever's name here'."

He chuckled when she didn't say a name.

"So, like, Oliver Queen and I went to brunch. _Not _a date. We both made sure that the other knew it wasn't a date. Anyway, we were talking and you won't believe how 'insert insulting word here' he was. I mean… yada yada yada." She smiled up at him and he laughed, shaking his head.

"You think ahead a lot don't you?" he asked.

She shrugged. "To a point I guess. I think of the past and future almost the same, although a little different. I like to think ahead just a little so that I don't make a decision I'll regret later. I know it's gonna happen. I mean, you can't live your life regretting what you did or what happened to you in the past. It's your past who makes you who are you are. And you're going to make a mistake, even if you think you won't by planning ahead. Very few things go as plan. But you can't only look to the future hoping it would get better while not doing anything for yourself to improve your present. I think a healthy balance of all three is what's needed. You live in the present, use your experiences from your past and try to plan for your future to avoid blatant mistakes. Get it?"

He smiled, nodding his head. Yes, his life would have been very different had he not been stranded on that island. He would have been the same selfish bastard he was before, except fatherless and clueless. He shivered. He wouldn't have given Ria a second glance. He probably wouldn't have even met her. Helena would have probably killed her father. And there would have been no one to bring justice to those on The List.

"This was nice," she said. "Thank you for this. And listening to me ramble."

"I find your discourse interesting to say the least."

"Oh I see," she giggled.

"Would you like to go out on a real date?" The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. Still. They were now out there and he anxiously awaited her response.

Her body went rigid was she looked at him. Almost immediately, his heart sank. He had assumed that she didn't have a boyfriend since it seemed that everything Katie had told him was a lie. "Why?"

He couldn't help but look surprise by that simple word. "I just… well I want to get to know you a little bit better. You're interesting and I think the proper course to take is an official date."

Her right hand slowly scratched her lip as she digested his words. He felt a sliver of hope. She seemed to be seriously contemplating her answer. Or she was trying to find a nice way to reject him.

"Alright. Where and when?"

He gave her his most dashing smile. "You decide," he said. "I picked this place."

She shook her head and smiled mischievously. "Nope. It's all on you. You asked me after all. And quite frankly, I have no idea what restaurants are good in town. Only hiccup is I don't know which evening I'll be free."

He chuckled. "Hmm," he said. "That is a dilemma. But I have a solution. Give me your number and I'll call you later to complete our plans. I have a few places in mind, depending on which day we go."

"Alright," she said. "I guess it's a good thing I rejected that job proposal."

He looked at her in confusion.

"Earlier. If I had accepted and we went out and it didn't work would have been pretty awkward. Okay, number is…"

"I guess that's true," he said softly, as he entered her phone number into his cell.

"Oh gosh! Is that the time?" she asked. "Sorry, I totally forgot. I'm gonna be late. Sorry," she said rapidly as she shot to her feet. "Thank you!"

He didn't follow after her although he wanted to. He still had to pay. And besides. He had her number. He was going to see her again and soon.


	3. What's a friend to say?

Ria gave a quick knock at the apartment door, breathing heavily. She couldn't believe she was late. The door opened and a woman stood in front of her. The woman was in her forties, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was shorter than Ria by three inches, standing at five foot four.

"You're late," Sarah, the woman at the door, said.

"Sarah, I'm soo sorry," Ria apologized, still catching her breath.

"If you didn't want to come you could have told me." She looked more disappointed than angry.

Ria shook her head. "I was going to come, I swear. I just…" she paused then shook her head. "No excuses. I'm here."

"Well, you're too late now," Sarah replied. She paused for a moment before she sighed and moved back, motioning for Ria to enter. "But I guess I can use my free day to go shopping after lunch. Are you hungry? I was just finishing making the rice and lentils and was about to scramble some eggs."

"No thanks, I just ate."

Sarah gave her a side-eyed glance. "You ate before coming here?" she sounded surprised and skeptical at the same time.

Ria nodded her head as she followed Sarah into the kitchen. "I had brunch," she said before Sarah could keep on probing.

Sarah's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Brunch? With who?"

Ria shifted uncomfortably. "How's Juls doing?" she said, trying to turn the conversation toward Sarah's eight year old daughter. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sarah. The forty year old woman was the closest person she to a real best friend, despite their age difference. She was just afraid of what Sarah would say.

Being a mother, Sarah was good at changing from friend status to motherly in seconds. And she wasn't a huge fan of the rich, despite having worked most of her adult life with one. But he was different from the others, James Sinclair, Sarah's employer. The old man was just, stern and yet nice. He owned Sinclair Mortgage. Despite being one of the elite, he clearly did not get along well with many of the others who seemed to travel together: Merlyn and Queen to name a couple. It was 'those people' that Sarah frequently complained about.

Sarah frowned. "You were here yesterday when we brought her home from the hospital," she pointed out. Then she gasped. "Were you on a date?" she nearly screamed.

"No!" Ria quickly corrected her, but she could feel her cheeks turning red. "Not a date. Just… a thank you brunch."

Sarah placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "No no no!" she said. "You will not brush this over. Clearly you like this person. Who is he?"

Ria nervously chewed on her fingernail before Sarah pushed her hand out of her mouth.

"Ria?!"

"I had brunch with Oliver Queen today," she whispered.

Sarah frowned. "Interesting name. Why anyone would name their kid after…" she paused then her eyes widened in astonishment. "What?" she asked. "You're shitting with me."

Ria shook her head. She knew she had a goofy grin on her face, but she couldn't help it. She pulled out her phone and showed Sarah the picture of the two.

Sarah grabbed the phone out of Ria's hands and stared at in, still not believing her eyes. "Oh my god!" she said. She covered her mouth with her hands as she looked at Ria. "Details. Now!" She ushered the younger woman toward the living room and sat down on the couch next to her.

"I thought you were going to eat and then shop-"

"Gossip is far more important," Sarah interrupted. "Plus, the stores close late. AND you are now required to stay an hour later. Tell me everything."

"Okay. Well, Oliver came to my apartment today-"

"Wait, wait wait!" Sarah interrupted again, holding her hands up in the air. "How did he know to go to your apartment? You're starting from the middle. Start from the beginning." She jumped excitedly like a teenage girl.

Ria let out a sigh, scratching the back of her head. "The catering company that Katie's brother works at was hired by Oliver last night. So he snuck us in. I met Oliver and we talked a little. Someone tried to steal Thea's purse and I happened to stop them. I was going to return it then, but… well I didn't. Apparently I dropped my purse and he came over today to return it. He gave me a choice of money or brunch as a thank you, so I chose brunch."

Sarah shook her head. "When I said details I meant details not the bare essentials," she said before letting out an exasperated sigh. She cocked her head then laughed. "That's why you were late," she stated.

"Well," Ria said hesitantly. "To be honest, I did kind of forget and even if he hadn't had come I probably wouldn't have made it today."

Sarah shook her head. "I can't believe it," she said. She placed her hand on her forehead.

Ria hesitated. "He asked me on a real date."

Sarah blinked in surprise and Ria shifted uncomfortably in the silence. "You're messing with me," she finally said.

Ria shook her head.

Sarah laughed, slapping her hand against her knee. "I should have kept a fairytale book in my pocket. You're living a modern Cinderella story!"

"What? No!"

Sarah nodded her head as she continued to laugh. "You go to a party. Meet the prince. Leave your purse behind. He finds your residence and the two of you go out. How is that not Cinderella? Oh! And you're poor."

"Technically, Cinderella was a noble in any version. Her father just happened to be a coward and let his new wife run the family," Ria quickly corrected her.

"Details," Sarah said, dismissing Ria's comment. She frowned. "So, did you say yes?"

Ria looked at her curiously. "I thought you didn't like the Queens," she said, crossing her arms.

Sarah shook her head. "Don't be changing the subject to me. Did you say yes?"

Ria knew she was grinning as she nodded. "He's going to call me later to discuss the details. Sarah? Should I go?"

"Cold feet already?" Sarah teased. "Of course you should go! You're never going to get a chance like this again. Let the man take you to an expensive restaurant. Wine and dine and waste money on you. You'll regret it if you don't go."

Ria blushed.

"But don't be putting out on the first date," she said sternly.

Ria sighed. "I won't," she said, rolling her eyes. "Mom," she couldn't help but add.

Sarah gave her a stern look before laughing. "Oh, to be young and unmarried," she said wistfully.

"Hey now," Ria said as she stood up. "Thought you loved your husband."

Sarah winked. "Oh I do. But given a chance, I would go on a date with Oliver Queen any day of the year. The man is gorgeous. Do you know what you're wearing?"

She shook her head.

Sarah smiled. "Tomorrow we should go shopping for a dress for you. Robb will be home until five. Gives us plenty of time. I'll show you how to hide the tag so you can return the dress later. Oh! One more thing, Ria."

The young woman looked at her, curious as to what she was going to say.

"Lie your ass off," she said, surprising her friend.

"What?"

"I've known you for two months more or less and you are very very truthful. So when he asks about your parents lie. And don't tell him what you do."

"Sarah. He knows where I live. I think there's no question in his mind that I don't come from money," she quickly pointed out.

"Still," Sarah said, shaking her head. "You don't want to bum him out. He may want to get to know you, but no man wants a sob story on their first date."

"You think there'll be a second?" Ria knew she sounded somewhat hopeful and yet scared. Fantasy dating him was different from really dating him. The rules were different in real life. His life was in the spotlight which meant that people would want to know who she was. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She was already thinking too far ahead. They had yet to actually finalize their first date. He could always cancel.

"If you play your cards right," Sarah said.

Ria smiled then shook her head. "You're not going to get fired for missing work today, right? I know you've missed a lot because of your daughter."

Sarah filled her plate with food and shook her head. "Mr. Sinclair understands what's going on. I just feel bad for the others. His daughter, Rebecca, came in yesterday. Each time she comes she's hell on the staff. Of course, only when her father isn't around. But he's been so busy lately that he's hardly around."

Ria nodded. "I saw her last night. The woman is gorgeous. Walked in to the party as if she were a foreign princess."

Sarah snorted at that. "May be gorgeous on the outside, but ugly on the inside. Plus, she didn't catch Oliver's eye. Not like you."

Ria smiled at that thought then frowned. "Why's Mr. Sinclair busy?"

Sarah shrugged her shoulders, placing her food on the table. "Hell if I know. You know how we all were afraid and thought that he was going to retire and let his son, Matthew, take over the company?"

Ria nodded.

She hesitated and Ria patted her back. "The fear is still there," Sarah whispered. "I mean, I don't fear for my job, but Robb's? He said that there were rumors floating around the office that Mr. Sinclair was planning on sending his son to the far end of the country. But I doubt that'll happen now that Rebecca is here." She shook her head. "She's got her father wrapped around her finger. There is no doubt in my mind that she's here to team with her brother against their father. I don't like it. I can't imagine how different the company will be with Matthew controlling it."

"Sinclair's a good man," Ria said, trying to reassure her. "I don't think he'll let his kids ruin what he worked so hard to build."

Sarah laughed. "Spoken by someone who doesn't have kids," she said. She let out a sigh. "Yes, he's a good man. But he also severely spoiled his kids after his wife's death. He loves them, maybe a little too much. He doesn't see what we see. Or if he does he ignores it. I just hope everything turns out for the best."

Ria rubbed her face as she thought. There were so many options for her to take, but each path hurt someone innocent. Plus, there was no guarantee that everything would go as plan if she did decide to do something drastic. Having only known Sarah for two months, the woman would have found it strange if she could read Ria's thoughts. But it was Juliette, Juls, who worried Ria. After all, it was the little girl that Ria had met first. She had practically given up hope for the city and was preparing to leave when she saw the little girl standing up to some bullies. Juls had collapsed shortly after her encounter and Ria had called the emergency service, meeting Sarah and Robb shortly thereafter. The girl had a strong spirit, despite having been in and out of the hospital constantly for the past two months. It was that spirit that Ria admired. If something were to happen, barring the child from getting the help she needed, it would break Ria's heart.

Ria grounded her teeth. Doing nothing was harder than she had realized.

"Ugh. I'm sorry. I totally bummed ya. Let's go to Robb's laptop and check out the expensive stores around here with Juls. Make a plan for tomorrow. We can't go to normal retailers," Sarah quickly added as Ria opened her mouth to protest. "Gotta get you something expensive. He'll know the difference and so will everyone else. I don't want to be reading the tabloids the next day saying 'Oliver Queen's date wears something from the dollar store'. Besides, what are credit cards for right?"

"Alright," Ria relented.

Sarah smiled, nodding her head knowingly. "I always get my way."

**~PtI~**

"A date!" John Diggle said as he watched Oliver practice his marksmanship. "With someone that's not in your immediate social group?"

"You sound surprise, Digs," Oliver said not looking at his friend as he watched the moving target.

John nodded his head. "You're a man with a mission. I didn't think you would jump so quickly out into the dating pool. Especially with someone who can't help you with your goal."

Oliver let his arrow loose and it easily hit the target. "You hurt me, John. Thinking I'm that shallow. I did date Laurel."

"That was different," John said. Oliver couldn't dispute that statement. It was true. He had practically grown up with the woman. And his other relationships, including the brief one with Helena, didn't help. John's eyes narrowed. "There's another reason too, isn't there?"

"I thought you wanted me to find someone," Oliver said, purposefully avoiding John's question. "Did you come here to lecture me on dating or some other reason?"

John sighed. He knew he wasn't going to be able to get any more information out of Oliver now. "One of my contacts says that a shipment is arriving for Matthew Sinclair tomorrow night. It was cleared through customs without anyone stepping foot on the ship." He pulled out a note from his jacket pocket. "I know the man isn't on your list, since his father is a very good man. But it sounded like something you might want to check out."

Oliver took the note from him and nodded. Yes, Sinclair was not on his list. But they were still a prominent business in Starling City. Oliver had seen the family only a handful of times, thinking back on their few interactions it was now clear to Oliver that James had no interest in dealing with any of the people who were on The List. James was a great man, his children, on the other hand, weren't. Oliver knew little about them, since the Sinclairs rarely attended parties that the Queens did.

However, Oliver had caught Matthew with at least one person that was on The List. He had shrugged it off as being inevitable, since the people on The List were rich and powerful. And he had yet to personally talk to Matthew since his return from the island.

Rebecca's sudden appearance was easily explained away. It was nearing Christmas time. Of course she would return home to spend the holiday with her father. But he couldn't help but feel that she had ulterior motives with whatever she did. She had barely come into town the day before, but it was clear that her first order of business was to attend Oliver's party. Like a leech she had latched onto him the second she saw him; A pretty blonde leech with pale blue eyes and white skin.

"Just remember," John said, interrupting Oliver's thoughts. "She's a real person you're going on a date with. She may not be rich, but she has feelings too."

Oliver sighed, fully understanding what his friend was saying. John was worried that Oliver was just using Ria. And in a small way he was. But he was quite honestly intrigued by her. He had a feeling that she acted around him like she would act around anyone else. And he liked that.

He looked at the note and sighed. So Monday night was out of the question. He walked over to his workbench and picked up cellphone. "Hey, Ria? It's Oliver." He chuckled when she greeted him. "Do you like Italian? How does Tuesday at seven sound? I'll pick you up." He paused and heard her mumble something to someone. There was a distinct scream in the background before she answered. "Great," he said, trying not to laugh. She sounded so calm and collected and it was clear that her friend was freaking out. "I'll see you then."

He closed the phone and looked at the note. Inwardly, he hoped they were wrong about the Sinclair children. The man was a good guy. It would be a shame if Arrow had to go against him because of his children.


	4. Unexpected Surprises

Oliver made his way down the stairs and smiled at his mother who walked toward the entrance with gloves and jacket in hand.

"Morning, mother," Oliver said as he kissed his mother on the cheek. She smiled up at him and seemed a little surprise as she put on her gloves.

"Oliver," she said. "You're up early."

He laughed. He was known for sleeping in up until he was rescued from the island. The island changed him drastically. He still had trouble sleeping and staying asleep for long periods of time. They were still getting used to seeing him awake so early in the morning.

"Big plans today?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Meeting Walter for lunch later today," she said. "Figured I'd go into town for a little shopping. Would-" She paused when she noticed the long white package sitting on the table in the center of the room.

Raisa walked into the house and smiled at the two. "Good morning," she said pleasantly.

"Raisa, who sent those?" Moira asked, pointing to the package.

Raisa frowned as she walked over to it. "I'm not sure, Mrs. Queen," she said, looking startled. "I didn't see anyone bring them in. They're for you."

Moira looked confused as she walked over and touched it. It was a long box and Oliver was sure that flowers were in it. She turned and looked at her son, forcing to him raise his hands in the air.

"Not from me," he said.

A small smile crept across her face. There was only one other person who would send flowers. "Walter," she whispered lovingly, running her fingers along her name that was beautifully handwritten on the top. She curled her fingers for a second before she opened the box. Raisa let out a scream in horror as Moira quickly backed up with her hand on her chest. With one step Oliver could see what was in the box. The black flowers were easy to see, and so was the moving host of beetles and maggots.

Raisa quickly covered the box and looked disgusted as she picked it up. "Don't worry, Mrs. Queen," she said as she rushed outside.

Oliver looked at his mother who still looked stunned by the incident.

"I'll find out who sent those," he told her.

Tentatively, she reached out and grabbed his arm, shaking her head. "Just a cruel prank," she whispered.

He looked at her in concern, but she didn't return his gaze as she took in deep breaths. Finally, she regained her composure and smiled up at him. "Honestly, dear," she said, squeezing his wrist. "I wouldn't think much of it. Promise you won't look into it."

He bit his cheek, but nodded, lying to her. Well, Oliver wasn't going to look into the sick prank, but the Vigilante would.

She rubbed her gloved hands together and stared at the space where the box was at before looking back at her son. "I was going to go into town today. Care to join me?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "I actually have plans. How about we go out to lunch tomorrow?" he asked her.

For a second, he saw disappointment flash through her eyes, but her smiled stayed on her face. "Of course," she said. "Love you. Have a good day."

He watched her leave the house before going to the table and searching around. His mind ran rampant with questions, but then they all centered around two specific ones. Who and why?

A small white piece of paper caught his eye, and he knelt down, picking it off the floor. He was careful to touch it, not wanting to get rid of any fingerprints. From the quick glimpse he got on the box he was sure that the note and the name were written by the same person.

"For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light," he read out loud from the note. He frowned. Could whoever wrote the note be talking about The List? Did they think his mother was somehow involved? More questions entered his mind as he made his way upstairs. He didn't like it. Whoever sent the flowers didn't need to add the bugs. There was something sinister about it. And it worried him.

* * *

Ria sat under a large oak tree near one of the city park's entrances; legs crossed, hands resting on top of them. She listened to her breathing as she tried to calm her emotions.

She had woken up at the ungodly hour of six in the morning because of her nerves. She still had one day to go before her official date with Oliver Queen. And yet she felt giddy, shy, nervous, and scared. She had tried a number of things to get her mind off of it. After all, she had over a day before the date. But nothing had worked until she took a jog in the park.

Maybe it was a good thing to get out of the apartment so early. By the time she had returned to her apartment the night before her roommates had gone out. And she had left early enough to have missed them again. It wouldn't last. She would see them tonight and they would bombard her with questions.

She sighed and stretched her legs out in front of her. Placing her hands on the grass, she leaned back and stared up at the tree. Her mind immediately started questioning her decision to go on a date with him. Would they have a good time? Was he trying to make a fool of her? What did he expect from her? Would they have a second date? So many silly questions that had never crossed her mind before. Sure, she had been on dates before, but none of them made her giddy.

She closed her eyes, recalling their conversation. She let out a gasp as she shivered from the memory of him saying her name. Sure, the first time he was teasing her, but not her name but because he knew it. Then when he said it again there was something else in his voice. It had sent shivers up and down her body. No one had said her name the way he said it. She selfishly wanted him to do it again.

Her eyes focused on a small leaf that was on the tree. Suddenly, the wind picked up, plucking the leaf from the safety of the branch.

She couldn't resist the urge that had been building inside of her and raised her right hand in the air. The leaf paused for a moment as if someone had grabbed it. Then she curled her fingers into a fist and the leaf floated into the wind. She watched as it twirled and danced before finally settling down on the ground.

She looked at her watch. It was time for her to go home and get ready. She had arranged to meet Sarah to get clothes and she had an hour and a half to get ready. Pulling out a handkerchief, she placed it over her nose as she got up and dusted her pants with her other hand. Once she finished dusting she held out her handkerchief and looked at it. There was a little blood on it but not much.

She put it away and sniffled as she walked toward the park entrance.

"Tiberia?!" a man said excitedly, stopping her in her path. He was Caucasian in his mid-forties with short dark brown hair. He was only an inch taller than her, but much larger because of his well-defined muscles. His walk was almost intimidating as he happily made his way toward her.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Kevin," she whispered breathlessly, recognizing the man. She rushed at him and wrapped her arms around him. She hadn't except to ever see him again. He returned her hug and laughed, slapping her back a little too hard, but she didn't care.

"Look at you," he said, pulling away from her to look at her. "Looking good. Thought by now you would have gained a few pounds. Maybe had some kids. Caught up with the good normal life."

"Me? Kids? Psh," she scoffed. "It hasn't been that long since we've seen each other."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Seven years, kid," he said as he wrapped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close, walking her toward the exit. "Seven long years. You gotta tell me what you've been up to."

She stared ahead in surprise. "Wow," she said. "Seven?" She hadn't realized it had been that long. She looked him up and down then poked his side. "You haven't changed," she teased. "Thought you'd have a potbelly by now. Didn't you say you were going to spend the rest of your life on an island with scantily clad ladies on either side serving you coconut drinks and nachos?"

He winced, but kept his smile on his face.

She pulled away. "You didn't retire," she stated. Suddenly, her mind went on alert. He hadn't changed since she last saw him. Why was he here? Of all the cities in all the states in all the countries, why was he in this particular city. There was no such thing as a coincidence when it involved Kevin Dover, professional mercenary. She frowned. "What are you doing here, Kevin?" she asked, taking a step back.

He let out a sigh. "Still sharp as ever."

"Seven years, Kevin. Not seventy."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Tibbie," he said, making her cringe at the nickname. She didn't miss that. "I'm not here for you or anyone you know. Actually, once this job is done I'm thinking of going legit. Maybe you could help me with that. My sister's son owns a little store and is in need of help. I offered my services. And trust me, I didn't even know you were in town until the other day. But you didn't hear or see me when I called you. Glad I caught you now though." He looked down at his watch and gasped. "Look at the time," he said. "It was great seeing you again, kid." He ruffled her hair and laughed before pulling out a business card and handing it to her. "We should catch up some time. Call me when you can." He started to move away then leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched him leave. She wasn't exactly sure if she was happy or scared. Most likely a combination of the two. Slowly, she opened her hand and looked down at the card. She was happy to see him. He was like the older brother she never had. They had been through so much. Yet she was scared that he would bring her into whatever job he was doing. Crushing the paper in her hand she slipped it into her pocket, banishing the negative thoughts. He had promised her that he would never ask her to do something he knew she wouldn't want to do. And maybe she could convince him to retire. After all, he was Kevin Dover, last living person from her past.

* * *

"Ma'am, you can't go in there!" the secretary shouted as she tried to get out of her desk and cut Moira off, but the older woman ignored her. She threw open the door and stormed into Malcolm Merlyn's office. The man looked up at her in amused surprise while the two men before him looked scared and horrified by her entrance. In one hand was a black trash bag.

"Gentlemen," Malcolm said before anyone could get a word out. "If you'll excuse me. I had completely forgotten that I had a brief counsel with Mrs. Queen. It should only take a moment."

The men glanced nervously at each other was they got up. They nodded to Malcolm first then to Moira before leaving the room and closing the door behind them.

"Don't you have maids for that?" he teased, looking at the trash bag.

"I thought we had an understanding," she snapped.

Malcolm raised his eyebrows, but held his cocky smile on his face. "My dear, Moira. What are you talking about?"

She glared at him and dropped the bag on his desk. A bug flopped out causing him to jump back in disgust and horror. She pulled the bag further back to reveal more beetles and black roses. "My son saw me open these."

Malcolm frowned and pulled the bag up so no other critter could escape. "Moira," he started, but she interrupted him.

"Don't, Malcolm!" she snapped. "You profess to be a friend and yet you send me these? What are you playing at? Did you forget so quickly what I had told you?"

Malcolm stood up and walked over to her. "I can assure you, Moira," he said as he carefully chose his words. "I did not send those to you."

His words surprised her, making her frown. "If you didn't then who did?" she asked.

He hit a button on his phone. Almost immediately, a man entered the room from a secret entrance. "Take these down to the forensic lab and dust them for prints and see if we get any DNA," he ordered. The man nodded as he grabbed.

Malcolm tsked, pointing to the single remaining beetle that explored his desk. The man grabbed the beetle putting it into the bag before walking off.

"This did not come from me," he said, returning his focus to Moira. "But I will find out who did send it. No one threatens my friends."

She grounded her teeth at that last word. Yes, they were friends once. Yet when he said that word it was like venom. She didn't know how to react. She was so positive that he sent them, not really sure why, that she hadn't considered other people. Yes, she had done things in her past to make people hate her. But nothing like this had happened to her. This was deliberate. It even had her name on it.

Malcolm reached out and grabbed her hands. She wanted to pull away from his grasp, but he held on firmly. That same cocky smile crossed his face. "You can trust me on this," he told her.

She gulped. Her response was automatic. "Thank you." She wanted to hit herself. She had thought she had pulled herself free from him. But now she had unknowingly gone to him for help.

"Of course," he told her as he motioned for her to leave his office. "Now, I should finish my meeting. But I promise to keep you appraise of my findings."

She nodded numbly as she walked out. New scenarios entered her mind. Whoever sent the flowers wasn't done. Blackmail was her first thought, but she had seen no note. She couldn't help but pray that this would be a one-time occurrence. Because this person, whoever they were, was poking a hornets nest with a stick.

* * *

Oliver hid in one of the abandoned warehouses close to the designated dock. He had picked the perfect window. There was no doubt in his mind that no one could see him. Using the binoculars he spied on the docked ship.

The ship had arrived quite some time ago. A few people had gone in, but no one had gotten out yet. Oliver had shot an arrow into the hull of the ship with a listening device on it. He could hear the conversation of whoever went into or out of the ship. Unfortunately, he could also hear the sound of the rain falling as it hit the microphone on the arrow. Currently, the hearing bud was lying on his shoulder.

The simple pitter-patter of the rain and lack of movement was killing him. It was giving him more time than he cared to think. His mother's "present" still frustrated him. Once his mother had left he had gone in search for the box. But it had disappeared.

Speaking with the staff, there was little to go by. No one had accepted the package nor did they recall seeing a strange in or around the property. At least he had gotten down the time when the package was left on the table. Thea hadn't seen it when she left for school which was roughly thirty minutes prior to them finding it. During that short space someone had put it into the house. That thought bothered him. Either one of the staff members was bribed, although possible he doubted it, or someone had found a way to quietly enter his home and drop the package without anyone seeing them, in broad daylight.

After dusting the note, Oliver was disappointed and not in the least bit surprised to find that there were no fingerprints. Blackmail was the first thought that came to mind. It was possible that his mother had done something long ago and that this person was seeking vengeance. Reading the note, it did seem like it. But he couldn't ask his mother, and she seemed just as shocked and surprised as he was. She didn't like to stir up or cause drama. It made sense to him that she didn't want to look into the incident further. But he couldn't help but feel that there was more to come. And it scared him. What lengths would this person go to and why?

The sound of a car brought Oliver out of his musings. He pulled out his binoculars and looked out at the ship. A limousine slowly parked at the end of the gangway. The driver got out, opening the door, allowing Matthew Sinclair to step out. The driver was careful to keep an umbrella over the young man's head.

"Dumbass," Oliver whispered to himself. The fool was clearly new to the life of crime. Personally showing up to whatever illegal activity he was doing was just begging to get him caught. That's what henchmen were for.

Matthew looked around as he straightened his clothes and headed around the car to the gangway.

Movement caught Oliver's eye and he looked up at the ship. A group of seven women slowly made their way toward the gangway. They all seemed to be huddling around whoever was in the middle, trying to keep the person dry from the rain. He frowned as he focused his attention on them. They didn't look like they were there against their will. In fact, it didn't look like they were doing anything illegal. He focused on the center of their group. That confused him even more. The women were huddled around a man in a wheelchair.

"_Easy_," a woman's voice said as they carefully made their way down the gangway. She stood in front of everyone, walking with her side facing the man and the car.

Oliver couldn't see the face of the man, but he could hear the man wheezing and groaning as they rolled over a bump. Oliver tried to see the man's face, but he was covered from head to toe in a large jacket with an equally large hat over his head.

"_Welcome home, Dr. Hedler,_" Matthew said pleasantly as he held the door to his limousine open.

The man in the wheelchair grunted and the nurses around him helped him enter the car. It seemed to take them forever to get him inside. Matthew watched the entire time.

Oliver frowned. He could hear the man grunting and groaning in pain as the nurses were trying to be careful to get him into the car. Why hadn't Matthew hired a private ambulance? He was rich enough. And who was this man that he had to be hidden and brought to the city in the dead of night?

"_Oy!" _a man shouted as he jogged down the gangway. In his arms was a box. "_Here."_

One of the nurses took it and placed it in the limo.

"_For your trouble," _Matthew said to the man as he handed him a wad of bills.

The man cackled. "_Pleasure doin' business wit' ya," he said. _

_"Here,_" he said to six of the nurses who were outside of the limo. "_Call yourselves a cab." _

_"You just gonna leave us here?"_ a woman in a thick Russian accent shouted.

Matthew shrugged as his driver opened the other side of the car. "_Told you I'd get you here. Be glad I was generous enough to give you enough money to last at least a month."_ He got into the car and his driver shut the door.

The women huddled together and watched as the car left them wet and alone in a strange city. Oliver stored the name of the man in his memory as he watched the women slowly walk away. He knew that he would follow them now. It was a freebie for them for tonight. He felt some pity for them. Sure, they were most likely illegal immigrants. But he knew that his conscious would be burdened if he didn't make sure that they found a safe place to spend the night.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for your continued interest. I thought I would have more time to write and update over the holidays, but sadly not true. Hope you continue to enjoy. Much more to come. Lot more Oliver and Ria scenes in the coming chapters. **


	5. The Date

Ria rubbed her right wrist as she nervously paced the entrance leading to the outside of her building. It was 5:45 P.M. last time she checked which meant she had thirty minutes, more or less, to wait. She stopped her pacing and raised her right hand up to her mouth, chewing on her thumbnail as she absent-mindedly stared at the elevator door. She didn't know what to do.

Oliver had called her earlier that day to make sure that they were going on the date and to make sure she knew he would be picking her up at six fifteen. No one had picked her up for a date before. She wasn't sure what to do. But she had chosen the lesser of the two 'evils' in her mind. She waited at the lobby and would come out once she saw him. It was better than waiting in her apartment. After all, Katie was there.

The young woman had nitpicked over everything Ria had done all day long. And Ria was sick of it. Katie had actually gotten offended when Ria had criticized her for telling Oliver she didn't have a job. "_I was only doing it for you."_ Katie's innocent voice and clearly offended face entered Ria's mind. Ria snorted. She wasn't sure what Katie had to gain by making her look bad. Maybe she thought Oliver would be more interested in herself than in Ria.

Ria dropped her hand and let out a sigh. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Katie's motives and heart were in the right place. She wasn't jealous of Katie's feelings. But she didn't want to take the chance of Katie embarrassing her. So here she was, pacing in the entrance of the apartments. It wasn't even a lobby. There was nowhere to sit not that she would have sat if there was a chair. Her dress was brand new and she didn't want to get it dirty just yet.

She looked around for a clock and sighed. Of course there was no clock available and she never wore a watch. It felt as if thirty minutes had gone by, but knowing her luck it was probably only five.

Mentally, she decided to prepare topic conversations. After all, the apparent consensus from people who knew her was to stay away from certain subjects: work, school, her parents, and pretty much her past life. Which meant that she was extremely limited on things to say. Both Katie and Sarah had practically said the same thing when mentioning her parents. People don't want to hear a sob story on their first date. And since most of Ria's history dealt with her parents, that meant a lot of her stories were off limits.

So then there were movies, TV shows and books that came to mind. But then those topics seemed terrible to choose considering he'd been gone for five years. Honestly, she was at a loss for words.

She sighed. Honestly, she wasn't even sure why she was so worried. He was handsome, there was no denying that, but she didn't know him. What if he was the kind of person she really didn't want to know? What if he was mean? What if this was all some sort of joke for him? Whatever the reason for him wanting to go on a date with her, she decided to have as much fun as possible. As long as her nerves didn't get in her way.

She absent-mindedly ran her hands down her body, smoothing the dark purple dress. There was no fancy design to it. It had a single right long sleeve, leaving her left shoulder bare, and was just a little bit higher than knee length. Hanging off of her right hand was a beige shawl with purple and silver fringes. The winter, so far, hadn't been too cold, but she had the shawl with her just in case. Not that it would do too much good, but it was better than nothing.

A car pulled up, bringing her out of her musings. Oliver didn't wait for the driver to get out as he exited his car. Suddenly, she felt extremely nervous. Gripping her clutch tightly in her hand along with her shawl, she walked out.

* * *

Stepping out of his car, Oliver was a little surprised to see Ria ready and waiting for him. He half expected her to still be getting ready. She quickly stepped out of her apartment building, making her way toward him.

Her dark purple dress hugged her body perfectly. Her hair hung loosely, with the left side tucked behind her ear. He could see a long purple beaded earring that matched her clothing and shawl. She wore a matching beaded necklace to the earrings.

He wasn't sure what happened between the time she stepped out of the apartment building and the few steps it took her to get to him. But suddenly, he felt an awkwardness between the two of them as she stood in front of him.

She must have felt it as well. "Oliver," she said a little too seriously. Her long dark brown hair hung loosely around her, framing her face nicely.

"Tiberia," he replied, doing his best to repeat her tone.

She smiled.

That was all he needed, motioning for her to get into the car. He closed the door behind her and then got in through the other side. He caught John's assessing gaze through the rearview mirror before focusing his attention on his date.

"You look lovely tonight," he told her.

She looked down at herself then up at him and smiled. "Why thank you," she replied then hesitated, clearly trying to think of a response. "You look nice, too."

He gave her a soft smile before leaning back against his seat. The awkward silence slowly invaded the car. Inwardly, he sighed. He had called her earlier in the day planning on canceling their date for a later date. However, John had persuaded him to go through with it. They had no leads as to who sent the flowers with the insects. And Oliver had no way to identify Matthew's mysterious guest. All the cameras he had set up did not show the man's face. Not to mention, there was no clear proof that Matthew had done anything illegal. And over the past few weeks, the vigilante had been extremely active. It was time for Oliver to take a break, even if it was for a few hours. That and Ria sounded excited when he spoke to her. He didn't want to disappoint her.

John loudly cleared his throat and caught Oliver's eye.

"I know your book is tiny, but can it fit inside that small of a purse?" Oliver found himself asking. In front, John winced as if Oliver's question had hurt him. Mentally, he hit himself. His voice made it sound as if his tease was malicious. Why couldn't he have asked how her day was?

She blushed as she looked at her purse. "Yeah," she said. "I was threatened with bodily harm if I took it out of the house."

"I wouldn't have minded. As long as you didn't pull it out while we were talking and started to read," he said, giving her a soft chuckle.

"Now that's just rude," she huffed. "I wouldn't read in front of you. Excusing myself to 'powder' my face and taking it with me is a different story though." Her eyes flashed with laughter, but she kept her face serious. He laughed. His laughter seemed to trigger something as a small smile crossed her face. "Besides, I think it's a little lucky now. You did personally bring it back to me."

He rubbed his face with one hand for a minute as he nodded. "Yes," he said. "Well then, I am glad you didn't bring it. If you had lost it again and another man had found it I would have to fight for your attention."

"Hmm," she said in thoughtful contemplation. "I do believe I made an error in leaving it behind. After all, what girl doesn't have dreams of being fawn over by two hot guys?"

"I never said he would be a hot guy," he retorted. "After all, you are going out with the hottest available bachelor in town."

She blushed a deep red at that and giggled nervously. "So I am," she said almost too softly for him to hear.

"I have to admit, I'm a little surprised you were ready and waiting at the entrance. I would have gone up to your apartment," he said, refusing to allow the silence to take over this time. After Katie's attempt at impersonation and then trying to make Ria look bad, he couldn't necessarily blame her for not wanting him to go into her apartment again. But then again, she only knew that Katie had told him that she had no job. Still, he was curious as to why she was ready and waiting.

"Well," she said, sitting up straighter. "I honestly didn't know the etiquette. Not that I haven't been on dates before. I've been on tons of dates." She paused then shook her head. "Well, not tons of dates," she said, trying to backtrack. "But, I mean, well."

He was amused by her attempt to explain. Her cheeks grew brighter with every word she stammered out. He bit his cheek to keep from chuckling.

"Oh gosh," she finally growled. "I was already ready so I decided to save you a trip."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't have mind. Have to get my exercise somehow."

That comment made her laugh. "You look like you get enough exercise," she replied.

"You have no idea," John muttered softly from up front. Oliver gave him a quick glance, but John focused on the road in front of him. If Ria heard him she didn't react.

The car slowed to a crawling pace as they came into a traffic jam. She looked around and sighed.

"Almost to the restaurant, sir," John said.

Oliver nodded, spotting the restaurant only a few blocks ahead of them. There was no need to hurry. They were a bit early. He turned his attention back to Ria and opened his mouth to ask a question when she gasped. She grabbed his side of the door, placing her entire torso directly in front of him. She smelled of apple and cinnamon. "Impossible," he heard her whisper as a tremor ran through her body.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern, but she was already pushing her body away from his door. She looked out the back window and frowned, clearly not hearing what he said. "Is everything alright?" he asked again as he tried to follow her gaze. There were people on the streets, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

She nodded her head as she sat back down. Her face had lost its rosy color, worrying him. "Thought I saw a ghost," she said softly. She bit her lip as her eyes moved back and forth, staring at the floor.

Oliver opened his mouth to question her when John opened her door.

"Miss," he said.

Oliver hadn't even noticed that John had stopped the car in front of the restaurant. Ria smiled as she stepped out of the car.

"Thank you."

Oliver didn't wait for John as he stepped out and held out his arm for Ria to take. She looked up at him and smiled a carefree smile as she placed her arm into his. It was as if her little reaction only a few minutes earlier had never happened.

"Mr. Queen," the hostess said as soon as they entered. She already had menus in hand and immediately escorted them to their table. They barely sat down before the waiter started naming off the wines. Since he was sure Ria had no idea about wines he picked one of his favorites.

He didn't say anything as he watched her pretend to focus on the menu. Whoever she had thought she had seen it clearly had caught her off guard and had upset her.

"Dare I ask?" he finally said, after the waiter took their order and was out of earshot.

She smiled up at him. "I'm sorry," she said. "It was nothing. Just my mind playing tricks. Rumor has it that you plan on opening a nightclub." She easily flowed into her last question and eased herself into her seat, relaxing her body. Whatever had bothered her she had clearly decided to ignore it. There was no use in keeping with the subject. He could tell that she wouldn't answer.

He nodded. "Not much of a rumor since it's fact," he said. "It's been a little slow going. I'm still in the planning stages, although we will be starting construction soon. Tommy surprising has some great ideas. You met him the other night. Tommy Merlyn." His eyes examined her face as he spoke.

She nodded.

"But you really don't want to talk about that do you?" he teased.

She laughed at his tease and shrugged. "What do you want to talk about?"

There were many things that came to mind so he decided to start from the beginning. "How about your childhood," he said. "Where did you grow up?"

She tapped her finger against the table, revealing her nervousness even though she appeared perfectly calm. "I kind of grew up everywhere," she said slowly. "There was a time that I lived here, in Starling City. It's why I'm here, actually. I came here looking for the home we lived in. Try and remember more. You know, take a trip down nostalgia road."

"Did you find it?"

She let out a sigh and shook her head. "Naw," she said. "I don't remember much. Not even street name/number or general area. I was just kind of hoping I would recognize the area." She laughed at herself. "I don't think you think about how quickly large cities change. Most cities I've lived in were tiny and rarely changed."

"You're right about that," he said, giving her his smile. "I can't believe how some things have changed in the last five years that I was gone. But there are things that haven't changed as well. Have you talked to your parents? They probably know or have a general idea."

She leaned back and studied his face, making him regret his suggestion. Of course she would have asked her parents. That was too obvious. He felt as if he had unintentionally insulted her intelligence. He wanted to smack himself. Why was he so worried? He was trying to get to know her. Of course he would make mistakes.

She licked her lips then let out a sigh. "Can I be blunt with you?"

"Of course," he said, slightly dreading whatever she was going to say next.

He noticed that she had absent mindedly picked up the knife, twirling it expertly in her hands. She suddenly seemed to realize that she was playing with the knife and quickly set it down. "So ground rule," she said letting out a deep breath, and folding her fingers together. "I'm not looking for handouts or a pity party. And I'm terribly honest about most of my past. So, with that in mind. I would have asked my parents, but they're both dead. My mother died when I was seven or eight and my dad died when I was seventeen. Sooo… as much as I would love to have asked them, I can't."

And of course they were, he couldn't help but think. He opened his mouth to apologize, but she raised her finger in the air.

"No!" she commanded. "No pity party. No sorries!"

"Alright," he said in contemplation. "If you want. I could see if I can…"

"No," she said laughing and shaking her head. "What did I say about handouts? I don't want you to use your resources. Honestly, please don't."

He raised his hands up in surrender. "I promise," he lied.

She believed him and smiled. "So," she said as she picked her words carefully. "Will I be invited to the grand opening for your club?" Her eyes danced with mischief.

He smiled. "Would you like to be?" he asked. "It's still a long way off."

"Are you suggesting that we're going to have a falling out?"

He leaned in closer. "It appeared to me that you don't stay in a city for very long. So you tell me. Would you stay here that long?"

Her eyes narrowed as she leaned in closer, resting her arms on the table. Her eyes expertly studied his face. "Hmm," she mused. "Would you put me on the V.I.P. list?" Her voice was soft.

"Of course." They both had leaned as far as they could without getting out of their chairs. He knew it looked silly, but she clearly liked to play whatever game he did.

Finally, she raised her hands in defeat, sitting back in her chair. "You win. Can't say no to my first V.I.P. list."

He smiled, leaning back into his chair. He liked her.

"Awesome," she continued, more to herself than to him. "I've never been on a V.I.P list before. I guess that means I should be super nice to you until it opens."

He gave her a lopsided smile and winked. "I guess it does," he said in a seductive voice, teasing her. He noticed the shiver cross her body and mentally congratulated himself. She pretended to be cold and wrapped her shawl around her.

The waiter returned with their food before he could say anything else, but he didn't mind. She looked at the small portion of food curiously before cutting into it. "Perfect! I'll have room for desert."

He laughed. "And what kind of desert were you thinking about?"

She shrugged. "We'll have to see." Suddenly, she blushed furiously and started to dig at her food.

"What?" he asked, wanting to know what suddenly amused and embarrassed her.

"Oh," she said slowly and looked at him. "This is embarrassing. But, for some reason I just remembered… Well, I think I was maybe seven or so. I was playing with one of the neighborhood girls and she had this bag of dog biscuits. I asked her why she had it and she said that they tasted like peanut butter and she would eat them."

He laughed. "Seriously?"

She nodded and then looked around before leaning in. "Since I didn't believe her she had me try one," she whispered.

"You didn't," he said, trying to keep from laughing again.

"I did. They were gross. But I was afraid that she would make me eat more. So I agreed with her and pretended to eat them."

"Alright," he said. "My dad took me to the park once when I was a kid. He said he took his eyes off of me for one second and when he turned back around I was chewing on something. He had me open my mouth and I was chewing on a bunch of ants."

She crinkled her nose in disgust and giggled, making him smile and then shrug.

"I think I was probably aiming for dirt and kind of missed," he said.

"I love how we talk about this while we're eating," she pretended to look at him disapprovingly.

"Hey," he said, raising his arms in surrender. "You started it."

"True."

She slightly changed the subject by talking about a little restaurant that her father opened when they lived close to the ocean in Ecuador, and how she tried to cook once for her favorite customer with disastrous results. He listened to her tale, smiling at her candidness. She clearly didn't like beating around the bush, trying to be someone she wasn't. In exchange, he admitted to his failed attempt at cooking a romantic meal for his parents' anniversary one year.

Time passed by faster than either seemed to realize as they exchanged silly stories, each doing their best to try to one up on the other. It was a silly, but fun game. And then Ria seemed to realize how long they had been there as she looked around.

"I think we probably should go," she finally whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" he whispered back.

She made a silly face then laughed. "Well, the couple that came in after us is leaving and everyone who was here before us have left."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and curiosity. "You noticed?" he asked, looking around. Of course, he had noticed. He just hadn't expected that she did as well.

She stiffened as if she had said something wrong and quickly shrugged her shoulders. "It was a game I used to play with my big bro," she said. "Well, not technically my big brother," she corrected herself. "I just called him that. When we would go out to eat he would quiz me at random times about who came and went. I got neat little rewards when I got all the answers right."

"That is a strange game," he said with a lopsided grin. There was something in her voice that told him she was lying. Maybe not about the whole thing, but she was lying about something. Considering she seemed to be much too honest for her own good, it was strange that she would lie about this. Yes, it did come off as a strange game even to him. But maybe that really was what it was.

She nodded. "Yes it is," she said softly. Whatever past memory she had brought up didn't upset her, but her eyes were vaguely distant as she stared behind him.

The waiter appeared as if he had heard them and quickly handed Oliver the bill. It didn't take him that long to pay and soon Oliver and Ria were both inside of the car.

"Well, thank you, Oliver," she said. "I had a lovely time."

He smiled back at her. "I had a great time as well, Ria."

She looked at him expectantly and he realized that it was the perfect time to kiss her. He started to lean down when unexpectedly his body was slammed against the door as the car took a sharp right turn. Ria let out a shriek in surprise as her body slammed into his. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, holding her close as cars honked behind them. But John didn't seem to care as he glanced into the rearview mirror.

"Diggs," Oliver said in an annoyed voice.

"Sorry, sir," John replied as he glanced into the side mirror. "Looks like we're being followed."

Both Oliver and Ria looked out the back window. They were still on a busy street, but Oliver immediately spotted the black SUV that traveled a few cars behind them.

"Why?" Ria asked.

"Don't worry, miss," John said, trying to reassure her. "I've done this plenty of times. It's probably just the damn paparazzi."

Oliver grabbed her hand and squeezed it, doing his best to smile reassuringly. "Sorry," he whispered then shrugged. "Happens to famous people. Looks like it's a slow night for them." He looked at John through the rearview mirror and John gave him a quick glance back. They were both lying. They were positive that it wasn't the paparazzi.

"Which car is it?" Ria asked, placing a knee on the seat to see out the back better.

Oliver grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "I wouldn't worry about it. John's a good driver. He'll lose them."

She ignored him as her eyes narrowed and it looked like she was trying to figure out which car was after them.

The SUV was careful as it signaled a lane change. Most people would have assumed it was just normally driving. John didn't signal as he turned into another street. Ria let out a sigh as she sat back down.

"I don't see it," she said. She gave one last glance behind them before sighing and waving her hands in the air. "You would think they would be easy to spot."

Oliver gave a quick glance back, spotting the SUV easily. The car slammed on its breaks as smoke came out of a tire. Clearly, one of their tires had blown.

"Looks like luck's on our side," John stated, slowing down the car. "They appear to have a flat tire." He had thought exactly what Oliver was thinking. Wait and see who was behind the wheel of the car.

Ria looked back just in time to see the car turn into another street. She laughed at their misfortune. "That was entertaining," she giggled. "Scary at first, but…"

"You're bleeding!" Oliver interrupted as he reached out toward her. His plan of signaling John to go back and try and spot the car again, momentarily slipped from his mind. It wasn't a very good plan anyway.

"Oh jeez," she hissed as she opened her purse and took out a handkerchief. She leaned forward, pinching her nose. "This is embarrassing," she muttered. "Maybe too much excitement," she couldn't help but add and giggle.

"I'm sorry about that," he said.

She gave him a side eyed glance and raised her eyebrows. "Price of being famous, right?" She slowly sat up straighter, still pinching her nose. Carefully she released her nose and covered her face with her handkerchief.

He smiled at her words. There would be real paparazzi attacks if they continued to date. But it appeared that she could handle herself. She would diffidently surprise his friends and family if he ever introduced her. She was far more down to Earth than many of the other girls he had dated, not including Laurel.

John was right. Ria was good for him. She allowed him to relax and actually be his new self without having to worry. She didn't know him from before, and if she read the gossip magazines she didn't seem to base her opinion of him on that. He didn't have to pretend around her and it was a refreshing relief to him. Of course, she couldn't find out about his other work. Maybe, in the distant future, she would find out or he would tell her he was the vigilante. But he needed to know her better, needed to make sure that he could trust her.

The car stopped in front of her apartment and she got out, not waiting for anyone to open the door. He quickly left his car and jogged over to her. She appeared to be very tired. He stopped at the entrance of her apartment building and she turned to look at him.

"Thank you," she whispered softly. "I had a lovely evening even with that crazy but short car chase."

He scratched his head. "Yeah," he said. "Price of being famous, right?" he parroted her words.

She nodded her head. "At least we weren't doing anything scandalous," she teased. "Maybe on our second or third date. Gotta get my fifteen minutes of fame somehow."

That made him laugh. She blushed. Then without notice, she rose up and kissed him on the lips. He was surprised by her forwardness. But just as quickly as her lips touched his she pulled away. He wanted to kiss her more thoroughly and leaned down to kiss her again.

"Nuh uh," she said, dodging his attempt and stepping into the building. "Gotta ask me out on another date for more," she teased. There was no malice on her face only playfulness, making him laugh again.

He shook his head and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Well, Miss. Tiberia Parks," he said. "I'm going to be hosting a Christmas Party at my home. It's a little formal event, but my friends will be there and my family. I would appreciate it if you came as well."

Her mouth dropped slightly. "A Christmas party? Meet your family? So soon?" she asked. He wasn't sure if she was asking him or thinking out loud. But hearing it put that way, he realized how terrible the idea sounded. Yes, it was kind of soon for her to be meeting his family. Then again, it wasn't like he was asking her to marry him or anything. "Umm, yeah. Sure. Why not?"

He smiled, masking his surprise. From her initial questions, he had already assumed that she would politely decline. "Perfect," he said. "I'll make sure to send all the details to you later."

"I can't wait," she replied almost seductively.

He waited for her to enter the elevator before returning to his car. A perfect ending to an almost perfect date.


	6. Christmas Party to Forget

**A/N: Thanks guys for the continued interest and your reviews! So sorry for the much to long wait. I had a little trouble with this chapter. And every time I thought of something it got closer and closer to the finale so I figured I'd wait to see what they did. And boy, have they made it tough for me. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy after such a long wait. I tailored "Year's End" around what I had already set up just a tad. So this takes place around and during "Year's End". Just in case some of you forgot, it's when the other Archer makes his appearance.**

* * *

Oliver carefully studied the traffic video surveillance of the previous night, trying to find anything that would identify the people who were following them. There wasn't much. He had been unable to get his hands on any videos that showed the men entering their SUV. So he didn't know how many there were or what they wore. They hadn't started following him until the end of the night. Which meant they had to have seen him enter the restaurant and then had chosen to follow him. But for what reason?

The idea that they were after Tiberia briefly passed through his mind. But why would anyone want to follow a woman from the Glades? Thinking about her reaction to the situation, there was something a little off. She was a little more curious than scared. Then again, she was probably a little tipsy from the wine they had.

Oliver shook his head. No, they weren't after her. They were after him. He returned his attention back to the video.

Smoke came out of the SUV as the tire blew, causing it to pull over. They somehow managed to drive their car into an alley, shielding it from the camera. Oliver paused the video and leaned closer to the computer screen. The picture was grainy, but he could deal with that. He skipped it back on a little and slowed it down, carefully watching the tire. It was hard to see what had happened to the tire, but that wasn't what he was looking at. The rim appeared to crunch as if something had crushed it.

"What the hell happened?" he asked out loud to no one.

John placed a knife on the table, causing Oliver to look up. "You've looked at that for hours now," John said. "Time for a little exercise." He backed up and held out his knife, ready for Oliver to join in the spar.

Oliver let out a cocky smile and got up from his seat. "If you feel like you're up to it," he teased.

John's body stiffened signaling Oliver that he was ready.

Oliver stretched out his body and grabbed the knife, making his way to John. Yes, he needed a small break. His eyes were playing tricks on him. There was no way that the rim of that car magically crushed with no good reason.

* * *

Tiberia lay on the couch with a wet cloth over her face. The sounds of the TV bothered her, but she couldn't tell her roommates to turn it down. They would only tell her to go to her room, and she couldn't be there.

"I'll get it," Alice muttered after someone knocked on their door.

Tiberia didn't move as she tried to focus her attention on the cool cloth. She shouldn't have done it. But her emotions had gotten the best of her again. Paparazzi or no, the people in the SUV had started to ruin her otherwise perfect date. So she got rid of the problem. And now she was reaping the rewards of her rash decision. The "powers" that she had been "given" were anything but a blessing.

"I'm looking for Tiberia," a very familiar deep voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Ti-" Alice started, but Tiberia was already scurrying to the door.

"No!" she snapped as she stormed over to him.

Kevin's face remained neutral as he allowed her to pull him into the stairway. As soon as the door closed behind them he pulled away. She spun around and glared at him.

"I let myself believe that you didn't know where I lived. That our meeting was just a coincidence, but now?" She waved her hands in the air in an exasperated manner. She didn't know why she felt betrayed and hurt. "Was that you last night? You think I can't handle myself?"

Kevin let out a sigh then looked up. "Not here," he stated as he climbed up the stairs.

Reluctantly, she followed after him. He opened the door and casually walked out onto the roof. The bright sun caused her to take a quick step back before she forced herself to go out. He grabbed her hand and firmly pressed something into her palm.

"I didn't want to bring you into it," he said, pulling away from her, but not looking away.

She frowned and looked down at the cylinder object in her hand. "What is it?" she asked. Her eyes widened before he could answer and she pointed at him. "It _was_ you following me last night!" she accused. "Why?"

He let out a loud sigh of relief. "Just take it, Tibbie," he said.

"Sure, I'll take an unknown substance. Think it'll-"

"It contains Zeraxics," he interrupted.

She looked down at the vial. "How? It was destroyed. Everything was destroyed. All that remained were the bits-" She took another step back and gaped at him in horror. "You think I did this? You think I'm somehow making more?"

Kevin quickly shook his head. "No, Tiberia," he said firmly. "I don't think that. I know you enough to know you're not a drug dealer."

"I don't." She let out a loud sigh and slowly sat down. "What the hell is going on, Kevin?"

"I'm not sure. It's a new drug that's still being processed. It normally has very small traces of Zeraxics, although the new samples we have gotten our hands on seem to have all but eliminated that. I had to combine a few samples that we got so that there was just enough to get rid of that headache for you."

She stared at the little bottle. "I'm sorry you did that," she said softly, holding out the vial to him. "I will not be taking this."

"Are you trying to kill yourself? Wait until your body just can't take it anymore and give up on you?" He yelled and moved away from her.

She shook her head. "I'm careful." She placed the vial on the ground and rolled it away from her.

He scoffed. "Yes, because last night proved that you don't use your abilities unless under dire circumstances."

"If you hadn't been following me then that never would have happened."

He clenched his fists. "Oliver is dangerous," he said through gritted teeth.

"So are you," she replied, getting to her feet. "So after, what did you say? Seven years? After seven years you think you can suddenly appear in my life and tell me what I can and can't do? That you know what's good and bad for me?" She looked at him with defiance in her eyes.

There was confusion in his face as he tried to think of something to say. He had clearly believed that she would blindly listen to whatever he said. She had never questioned him before, but she had been a child then. She could see the realization cross his face that he had made an error. He grabbed the vial and stormed past her, opening the rooftop door to leave.

"Why follow Oliver?" she shouted.

He paused then turned to watch her reaction. "We're looking for whoever makes this new drug."

"You think it's Oliver?"

Kevin shook his head. "The boy's rich." Clearly calling Oliver boy to put him down. "And a party boy. The drug's new. I have no doubt that he'll get his hands on it when he finds out about it. Even if the drug is in its beginning stages."

Ria crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Doubt that. He may have been a party boy, but I think he's different now. Whatever happened to him on that island has changed him. You're following the wrong rich guy."

Kevin snorted. "Well, I'll leave that up to your expert opinion since you've dated him for such a long time," he said sarcastically. He grabbed the door and pulled it open but stopped when she spoke up.

"I'll help you," she said. "I don't think Oliver will have anything to do with this, but that doesn't mean his friends or anyone he knows won't. If I see anything I'll tell you."

He glanced back at her. "Why?"

Her steps were deliberate, but calm as she walked over to him. "I want to know how the hell someone got their hands on Zeraxics. I took the only ones that were left. And Dr. Hedler is dead."

He nodded his head.

The two were quiet as they walked down the stairs and into the lobby. Just as he reached the front door he turned around and looked at her. There was something different in his eyes. "Be careful, Tiberia," he said softly. "Some people are really good liars." He pulled her close and kissed her forehead before letting her go.

"Hey, Kevin," she said as he opened the door. "I'll call you. Don't come back here again. And don't follow Oliver or me."

He winked at her, trying to lighten the mood. "No problem, Tibbie." He didn't give her time to reply back letting the door close behind him. He casually walked to his parked car and got in not bothering to look back at her again.

She turned and headed back to her apartment. Butterflies filled her stomach. Someone had their hands on the formula for Zeraxics. And she had to get her hands on that person before anyone else, including Kevin, did. Oliver's Christmas party wasn't exactly the best place to start, but this was Oliver. He had to have some other parties planned before that.

* * *

Ria nervously snapped and unsnapped her purse as the taxi made its way toward Oliver's home. The past two days since their first date had seemed longer than normal. Oliver had suddenly become increasingly busy with his club to do much else but call her. Normally, that wouldn't have bothered her. But she was anxious to get her hands on the new drug. The sooner she found out who was behind it, the sooner she got her answers, and the sooner she could get back to living her life.

The tax stopped, bringing her out of her thoughts. She paid the fare and stepped out of the cab, staring up at the house.

The Christmas decorations on the house seemed to perfectly match it. She spotted a couple as they casually opened the door and walked into the house. Although she was invited, she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about entering a home without knocking. She walked up one step and her heart fluttered.

"No need to be nervous," she whispered to herself. "It's just a party. You may be a little late, but it's socially acceptable."

The doors seemed larger than usual, although she was sure that was just her mind playing tricks on her. She touched the wood and let out a deep breath before turning the knob and walking inside. She immediately heard the pleasant Christmas music and low mumble of people talking.

She looked around, searching for any sign of Oliver. She didn't recognize anyone, but then again she would have been amazed if she had.

Thea walked out of another room with a young man, stopping near the stairs to talk.

Ria gulped then headed over to them. She didn't want to interrupt them, but Thea would know where her brother was.

"Op," Ria gasped in surprise as she bumped into Moira, causing the woman to drop a bouquet of flowers. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Queen," she stammered, quickly grabbing the flowers and holding them up.

"It's quite alri," Moira started but stopped mid-word, blinking in surprise at Tiberia.

Tiberia frowned.

"Ria," Oliver said pleasantly, strolling over to them. "I'm glad you could make it. Mother, this is my friend Ria."

Moira let a smile cross her face and nodded her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I should really get these plants in water," she said, not skipping a beat. She didn't wait for anyone to say anything, quickly going up the stairs and away from the party.

"I hope it wasn't me," Ria said then looked at Oliver. He looked so prim and proper and devilishly handsome in his suit.

"It wasn't," he said absent-mindedly, his eyes following Walter up the stairs. "Hope you didn't have trouble finding the place."

"Not at all. GPS is good that way," she said with a smile.

He gave her a small smile in return, but turned and walked back into the living room. She followed after him, feeling like a child trying to get the cool kid's attention.

"Fantastic job with the party," she said, trying to get him to talk. "I don't know how you get decorations so high up."

"Hired someone to do it," he replied, turning his attention over to his sister. He rolled his eyes before looking down at Ria. He blinked as if startled by her presence. His face softened. "You look lovely," he said gently in his caring voice.

"Oh really?" she asked. "Didn't think you had noticed," she teased. A smile crept over her face, despite that. "Thank you," she said, doing a little twirl. "Wasn't sure what color to wear for a Christmas party. I felt as if red was too bright and seductive. Green would make me look and feel like an elf. So I went with this navy blue. And you look handsome as always," she quickly added.

He smiled at her compliment, but she could tell that his mind had returned to that elsewhere place.

She bit her cheek to keep her sigh of disappointment inside. Now she really felt like a kid trying to hang out with the cool kid.

He focused his attention behind her, and she stepped back, clasping her hands behind her back. A couple walked over to him. She had a feeling that he had forgotten about her as he walked away and headed toward the couple. She didn't recognize the woman, but she was pretty in her bright red dress. The man she recognized as Tommy Merlyn, Oliver's best friend. Suddenly, she felt awkward and alone.

"What a bad idea," she mumbled to herself. What made her think she could keep Oliver's attention for longer than a day? He was constantly surrounded by gorgeous rich women. Inwardly, she chided herself for feeling a little jealous. They were just getting to know each other. He wasn't going to abandon his friends or _his _party to keep her company. Rocking on her heels for a few seconds she contemplated on her next move. She was at a party. She might as well explore and get to know people.

She wandered toward the drinks, opening her ears to the conversations around her. No one said anything that was of any particular interest to her. And this wasn't the kind of party where people would be offering or buying drugs. She felt a twinge of regret for having come. She wasn't exactly sure what she had expected, but she and Oliver had hit it off their previous meetings so well she didn't expect to feel alienated.

A man sighed rather loudly right next to her and she looked up to see Tommy. He held two wine glasses in his hands and pointed toward Oliver and the woman. "Laurel," he said to her. "Oliver's ex-girlfriend. We're dating now, so there's no need to feel jealous," he continued, flashing her a false smile.

"Me? Jealous? Bah," she said, waving her hand in the air dismissing his comment. "I came for the food and free booze. Oliver has some really good taste in food."

Tommy chuckled at that.

"I must admit. I don't envy him. He's the host of this party. Of course he has to go around and talk to all of his guests and make sure everything is going well," she continued, trying her best to give a good excuse to her brain to make her feel better.

He smiled at that. "Thirsty?"

She stared at the glass for a moment. "Sure."

He handed her a glass and picked up another.

"Hi," a woman said, making the two look at Laurel. She grabbed Tommy and kissed him in an attempt to reassure him that she was dating him and not Oliver. She smiled and turned to looked at Ria. "I'm Laurel. I don't think we've met."

"Yeah, I don't think we have met," Tommy said with a slight tilt of his head.

"Ria," she replied, shaking Laurel's extended hand. "And well, we haven't," she continued pointing to Laurel and herself. "But we have."

Tommy opened his mouth, ready to make any kind of excuse or denial, but Ria quickly continued. "Don't worry," she said, raising her hands in the air. "I wouldn't expect you to remember. It was a few weeks ago and only for maybe a minute at most. During one of Oliver's less formal parties. We were all wearing masks."

Laurel smiled, edging herself closer to Tommy. "Well," she said. "I hope you enjoy this party."

"Formal parties are enjoyable?" Tommy asked.

Ria found herself laughing at that comment a little to hard.

"Most aren't, but I'm sure since Oliver is hosting this one he'll find a way to liven it up," a deep voice said.

"Matthew!" Laurel said in surprise as the handsome man with short blond hair placed himself next to them.

"Laurel, Tommy," Matthew Sinclair said, nodding to the two. Tommy reached out and shook his hand.

"It's been a while, Matt," he said. "I was beginning to think your company had swallowed you up. Is your sister here?" He looked behind the blond man, scanning the room.

Matt gravely shook his head. "Rebecca's not here. My father's health isn't the best. She decided to stay with him, allowing me to come to this party instead."

"I'm glad you could make it," Tommy replied.

"Yes," Matt said. "I have been very busy as of late. I was a little surprised to see Oliver's invitation, but I was grateful for it. You've been rather busy."

Tommy shifted uneasily.

"Don't worry, Tommy," Matt quickly continued. "I understand. Oliver was your best friend. And I have been pretty busy. Considering it is holiday season I think it would be a good break for me to host at least some sort of holiday party. Speaking of which, I should find our host to properly thank him. I will return shortly. I don't see many people I recognize and fewer still I wish to associate with."

Ria didn't say a word as she watched him leave. It was hard for her to believe this was the same Matthew Sinclair that her friend Sarah complained about. He seemed so normal, nice, and courteous. Not the rude, egotistical, power hungry, jackass that Sarah said he was. Then again, people were always different when comfortable and at home.

"I didn't know you knew Matt," Tommy said, looking at his girlfriend with surprise.

She blushed a little and nodded. "We dated for a short while," she said. "I broke it up and that's all that's important." She took a quick sip of her drink then looked at Ria. "So, what do you do?"

Time seemed to go by slowly as the three talked. Despite what Matt had said, he didn't return to their conversation. Ria spotted him moving from one group to another. He was clearly selective with the groups that he talked with, finally ending his night of wandering talking to Thea.

"I guess Oliver has forgotten about his party," Laurel said, stifling a yawn.

"It's getting late. We should probably go home," Tommy said and she nodded her head in agreement.

"I guess we'll be seeing you around, Ria," she said.

"I hope so," Ria replied. She didn't want to sound bitter. But she had hoped to have spent more time with Oliver. Still, it was great getting to know his friends better.

Tommy placed his hand on Laurel's back and gently led her toward Moira. Ria looked over at the older woman who returned her gaze before looking back at the man she was talking to.

"Guess I should go too," Ria said to herself. She opened her purse and pulled out her cellphone then silently cursed. It didn't turn on. The battery had apparently died at some point. "Naturally," she mumbled to herself. She looked back at Moira, but the woman was talking to Laurel and Tommy. No, she couldn't bother her. She was too embarrassed to ask to use their phone to call a cab.

Ria made her way through the house and didn't stop moving till she was outside and staring at the driveway. She could always walk, although that was probably more embarrassing. Maybe steal a cab from someone? Naw. She wasn't that kind of person.

"Waiting for a ride?" Matt asked, startling her.

"Umm, yes," she said.

"I'll take you home," he said.

For some reason, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. "I… well…" she stammered, trying to find a way to politely decline his offer. Why was she suddenly on guard around him?

Laurel and Tommy stepped out of the house, giving her a little more time to think.

"Ria, do you need a ride?" Laurel asked.

"Sure." The word came out of her mouth before she could stop it. Matt visibly stiffened beside her, but didn't argue.

"Have a good night then, ladies, Tommy," he said courteously before walking down the stairs and getting into his limo.

"I'll be right back," Tommy said, heading toward his car.

Ria waited for Tommy to get out of earshot before saying anything. "Thank you."

Laurel smiled at her and nodded. "Matthew's not a bad guy," she said. "But you clearly looked uncomfortable."

"That noticeable?"

Laurel shook her head. "No. I just knew. I'm sorry about Oliver. He's a great guy. Just… it's a bit harder for him to think about others sometimes."

Ria looked up at the young woman, studying her face.

"I just don't want you to get the wrong idea about him just from tonight."

Ria waved a hand, dismissing Laurel's worry. "Gotta do more than ignore me for one clearly busy night to scare me off. It was also kind of a bad idea for me to come. Christmas parties are generally for family and super close friends." She couldn't say she regretted not coming. There were a couple of strange things that had happened.

For one, Moira was clearly startled to see her. That didn't make sense. She had never met the woman in her life. And then there was Matt. He was different than how Sarah had described him. And when he talked with them for the first time everything seemed well. But her talk just now? Her body had gone on high alert.

At least she got to formally met Laurel and Tommy. She knew Tommy was Oliver's best friend, so it was good to be able to talk to him and let him know a little about her. And Laurel didn't seem like a bad girl. Even though it had appeared quite clear to Ria that Oliver still had feelings for his ex. But Laurel was nice and dating Tommy. She felt no need to be jealous. For now.

Ria looked back at the Queen mansion and inwardly sighed. She would have liked it if Oliver had been with or around her for at least part of the night. But now, all she could do was hope that, if there was a next time, he wouldn't completely ignore her.


	7. Apologizes

**A/N: So sorry. There was a little confusion from some of you in the last chapter. Really quick, it was tailored within the episode of "Year's End" where Oliver first met the other archer. I'm afraid I didn't make that clear. Sorry about that. My bad for not writing fast enough so that the episode was still fresh in your minds. Anyway, thank you all for your reviews, favs, alerts. Reviews have helped me make sure to clarify things that I think are clear, but aren't. I'm so glad people are still interested. I'm still having lots of fun writing. I hope you all continue to enjoy.**

* * *

Oliver leaned against his temporary cane and stared out into the city. He had failed them. He wasn't the vigilante that they needed and he knew it. The night was a complete disaster, despite him saving the hostages. In the end, he had his ass handed to him by a mysterious archer. His identity was almost revealed to the man and even to his family, to the whole freaking city.

He shuddered. He could read the headlines now. _"Oliver Queen, masked vigilante, killed." _Or "_True menace of Starling city, Oliver Queen aka The Hood, killed." _He doubted anyone would have anything nice to say about him. His family would be plagued by reporters and police. His sister would be worse off than she was now. They would all have so many questions, so many speculations and only John would have the real answers. Sadly, if he told then he would be in a lot of legal trouble.

He felt John standing behind him, waiting to take him home. But Oliver wasn't ready just yet. There was so much to think about, and it was hard to think while at home with his family around. He loved them, and he was grateful for their words to him. But he had to think long and hard about his actions to come.

He sighed. The Christmas party didn't turn out quite how he expected. It was supposed to be perfect, with everyone enjoying and his family and friends getting closer. But then that archer had to make an appearance.

"Might I suggest sending some flowers to Ria?" John said.

"Ria," Oliver whispered in realization. "Dammit!"

"Yup."

Oliver limped toward the door. "We better get going."

"Before you dig a deeper hole for yourself?" John teased.

"Yup," Oliver called out, not bothering to look back at John. "Have a couple of stops before going home tonight."

"Of course, Mr. Queen."

Oliver's mind ran quickly with various types of excuses that he would tell Ria once he saw her. In the end, he hoped a simple sorry with the same brief lie John had come up for him would due. He tried to remember where she was and who she was talking to during the party, but his mind was unmercifully blank. He was aware that she had left his side just as Laurel and Tommy had entered. Or was it that he left her and she let him?

Oliver sighed. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with the other archer… He shook his head. No, that had been the life he had chosen. He knew that he would have to lie and disappear if he was needed. He looked out his window and let out a little sigh, recognizing the road and buildings. He felt guilty. He had failed the city and here he was, on his way to apologize to a woman he barely knew. Well, not barely. Although they had known each other for a short amount of time, she had been quite lenient with the information that she gave him about her past.

A small part of him chastised him for going to her apartment. He had failed the city. He didn't deserve fun or even company at this moment. He should be in a small dark room, meditating and preparing his body for the next fight. But, there would be no next fight. This other archer was faster, stronger, smarter and better than he was. The man almost found out who he was. That scared him a little. His family and his friends would be in trouble. He had picked a fight with powerful people. Sure, his family was powerful too, but they wouldn't understand and they wouldn't be able to handle whatever hell would have fallen on them.

He closed his eyes. It was time. He would have to fail his father, but he had to keep his family and close friends safe. He was doing being the vigilante.

John stopped the car, bringing Oliver out of his thoughts. John stepped out of the car, going to the other side to open Oliver's door and help him out. "Good luck, sir," he said, without revealing what he felt.

"Just go home, John," Oliver said softly.

"I'm paid to-"

"I'll be fine, and it is Christmas Eve. Spend it with your family. Trust me. I won't be getting myself into trouble for quite some time." He fixed John with his serious gaze, getting a sigh from his bodyguard.

"Are you sure?"

Oliver nodded as he held the boutique of cheap flowers he had managed to find.

"You don't want me to help you up the stairs or anything?"

Oliver glared at his friend who looked at him somberly before letting a smile crack his face. "Go away," Oliver muttered, unable to wave either hand. He limped toward the entrance, giving John the clear sign that he was done talking to him. He could hear the man chuckle, but kept his focus on the door. The first time he had come he had helped a lady with her groceries. And the second time he hadn't even entered the apartment since she was already ready and waiting for him.

Tentatively, he reached out and pulled on the door. It should have been locked, to keep the tenants safe from unwanted guests. The door easily opened. He could see that there used to be a lock that worked, making it necessary for the tenants to buzz guests in. They were at the edge of the Glades. He was sure that the apartments cost more than what they were worth because of that. Which meant that the door should have been working properly.

A quick elevator ride and short walk down the hall put him directly in front of her apartment. He raised his hand in the air to knock on her door then stopped. What was he thinking? He wasn't sure what time it was, but it had to be closer to one in the morning. He wasn't even sure if she was home or even awake.

The sound of a loud beep from the apartment made him frown. It sounded like a smoke alarm. He could hear someone moving inside and quickly knocked on the door. Someone yelled something, but it was too muffled for him to understand. He raised his hand to knock on the door again, when it flew open.

"I'm so sorry. I… Oliver?" Ria asked in surprise as she looked at him.

"Hi," he said, holding out the flowers.

The alarm beeped again and she muttered something. "Come in," she said, absent-mindedly grabbing the flowers from him. She rushed back to the kitchen and fanned the air around the smoke alarm with a cloth. "Damn thing," she said, just loud enough for him to hear.

He closed and locked the door behind him then stood uneasily. He remembered her roommates and looked down the hall, expecting to see them any second.

"Take a seat on the couch if you want," Ria called from the kitchen. "Unless you only came to give me these." He could hear her jumping up and down as she continued to fan the smoke alarm to keep it from going off again. There was a small burnt smell in the apartment, but nothing to make him think that the alarm needed to go off.

"No," he replied, making his way over to the couch and sitting down. It was surprisingly comfortable. There was a blanket at the other side of the couch. The TV was on, but the image was still. She had been watching a classic Christmas movie. He felt relieved that she hadn't been watching the news. He wasn't in the mood to talk about the vigilante or what had happened that night. Not yet. He looked around and spotted three large grapefruits on the floor.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "I made some food, and don't worry, I actually made a little extra."

"Sounds good," he said. He listened as she opened cupboards and pulled out dishes. She came out, her hands full with dishes. She clearly didn't want to make many trips. He tried to get up and help her, but his body protested his moves. She set the plates down on the table before going back into the kitchen to get some drinks.

She placed the glass bottles down in front of him and opened them with the can opener, putting the cap on the table. "Non-alcoholic Sangria," she said, handing it to him.

"Thank you," he replied.

She rubbed the bottle for a moment before lifting it into the air. "To loved ones now gone," she said.

"To family and friends still around," he replied, clicking her bottle with his.

She cocked her head as she handed him a plate with French toast, tomatoes and bacon. "Did you come all this way to give me flowers?" she asked. "You could have just sent them."

He shrugged. "I wanted to give them to you personally. I'm sorry about how I treated you during the party."

She watched him curiously as she sat down on the couch. "It was a party," she said. "You were the host. You had a lot on your mind."

He shook his head. "That's no excuse," he stated. "I invited you, but I didn't give you the attention I gave the others. And I'm sorry."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Well," she said. "You did seem distracted. Figured you were either bored of me already, or family troubles. Holidays always brings out more stress between family members. But it was nice to be able to talk to your friends, Tommy and Laurel. They're very nice. I see why you're friends with them. You don't have to apologize, but I do accept."

She turned away from him, reaching out to grab her food. He let his eyes taken in her appearance. She wore shorts and a long large low cut shirt that had a cat in the front. Suddenly, he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He forced his eyes away. It was night and she was at home, of course she wouldn't be wearing a bra.

"What are the grapefruits for?" he asked, nodding toward the fruit that was on the ground. He had to get his mind off of her body.

"Oh!" she said, quickly getting up and picking them up. "Practicing my juggling."

"With grapefruit?" he asked skeptical.

"Well," she said, tossing one into the air then the other. "I have to start out somewhere. Can't be expecting me to start out with kitchen knives. Gotta advance like a normal person." She added the third grapefruit and immediately missed the first one. He raised his eyebrows in surprise as she kicked the one back up with ease. She placed all three on the coffee table and sat down next to him again.

"If you were using knives you would have cut your foot," he said.

"Which is why I stick to grapefruit for now." Her eyes sparkled with laughter, but her face remained serious.

She continued the movie and the two ate in silence as they watched it. He felt her steal a couple of glances his way, but didn't say anything. He hoped she would say what was on her mind without him probing her.

"So," she finally said, pausing the movie.

He returned her gaze.

"Why are you here? I mean, except for the apology. You could have called, had the flowers sent. You didn't have to come personally. It's Christmas Eve. Shouldn't you be with your family?"

He let out a small smile and nodded. "Yes, but… things aren't the same. I thought that by being back I could make us return to our same old traditions. That everything would go back to the way they were before I left. I learned today that things are different and will never be the same." He grounded his teeth, unsure as to why he just said what he said. It wasn't her problem. But he felt a relieved to tell someone. He was trying to change the city as the vigilante and yet make sure that his family stayed the same. He couldn't admit it out loud, but he felt lost with them. They were the same people and yet different. He was sure they had the same trouble with him. Having lived five years thinking he was dead and gone, they had adjusted their lives without him. And now he was back. The four had to learn to live together again. He would have to let go of their past selves that he remembered and they would have to do the same for him. But it was hard.

"I understand," she said softly. "It's hard to let go of a tradition, especially if it's something that you loved to do with your family. If someone tries to change it or stops doing it all together you can feel lost and scared. Scared that you'd forget the happy times you had doing that and the love you felt. Lost in the sense that you don't know what to do with yourself when tradition is broken." She looked away, turning her attention to the TV, but leaning in closer to him.

He looked around, and everything came clear to him. "You did this with your father," he said.

She let out a sigh. "I shouldn't," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, he'll never come back. Just," she paused. "It's comforting. It's the one thing that I vaguely remember doing with my mother as well. Not that I don't break tradition. But, I figured, I was alone and why not." She looked into his eyes. Although she smiled her eyes held sadness in them.

He kissed her this time. It was a soft kiss. He just wanted to comfort her. Her hands caught his face and she kissed him harder, pulling him closer to her. His lips parted and he felt hers part as well as their tongues eagerly met. His hands found their way under her shirt, gliding up her back. He was an expert at taking off bras and that was generally the first thing he took off. He had temporarily forgotten that she wasn't wearing one. Still, he liked the feel of her soft skin.

She pulled him on top of her, and he shifted his weight onto his bad leg, trying to gain some balance. He let out a groan as pain shot up his leg.

"What'd I do?" she asked in horror. She placed her hand on his chest, stopping him from kissing her more. "Oh my god. Oliver! You're hurt!" she cried, finally noticing temporary brace that was on his leg.

"It's nothing," he said, slightly frustrated with himself. He could have handled the pain. Why had he cried out?

"If it was nothing you wouldn't have a brace on your leg," she said, pushing him back to a sitting position. She grabbed a pillow and placed it on the coffee table, propping his leg up. "Bet your doctors told you to prop your leg up."

He shrugged.

"Oliver," she said in frustration. "I just saw you a few hours ago. What in the world did you do?"

He grinned. "Got into a fight with the pavement," he teased.

She looked at him seriously. "Really?" she asked, not believing him.

"Yeah. My family frustrated me so I went out for a quick ride, during the party. It's why you didn't see me. Crashed and hit the pavement. Good thing I was wearing a helmet."

"Well then, you should be at home resting, not stressing your body out more."

"Well, I would have a deeper and better sleep after," he teased.

She lightly pushed him, shaking her head. "Oh no! Is John outside waiting for you?" she asked as she quickly got up. He grabbed her hand, shaking his head.

"I sent the man home," he said.

She sat down again. "Well, then… that changes things," she said, kissing him.

"You're roommates?" he asked, quickly remembering about the two women who also inhabited the place.

"I don't expect to see either for the next few days," she said. "But I do have a room. If I have to, I'll carry you." She leaned on him and kissed him again. He pulled her closer, letting his hands go up and under her shirt again.

A loud pounding on the door forced the two apart.

"Mr. Queen!" John's voice was much too loud and strangely in a panic.

Ria quickly jumped over Oliver and rushed to the door, opening it up for the bodyguard.

"Excuse me, miss," he said. "Is Oliver here?"

"What is it, John?" Oliver asked as he limped into the view of the door. He tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but was sure that John could hear it.

John didn't seem fazed by Oliver's mood. He looked more serious than usual. "Mr. Steele's been kidnapped."


End file.
